'ONE GOD AND FATHER OP ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL. 
AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU AI L. : ' — Eph. iv. 6. 



MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



<E JSock far Sunfcag Scfjacis ano JFamiltts. 



BY THE WRITER OP 

'EARLY LESSONS ABOUT THE SAVIOR. ; 





BOSTON: 


WILLIAM V. SPENCER, 


203 


Washington Street. 




1867. 



'j LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I 
| s.2PY|661 J 

& # 

♦UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.* 



$ 



J "ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, 

AND THROUGH ALL, AND IX YOU ALL." — Eph. iv. 6. 



MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



% Book for Sunoag ^djools ana iFamtltes, 



BY THE WRITER OF 
< EARLY LESSONS ABOUT THE SAVIOR.' 



BOSTON: 
WILLIAM "V. SIPEHSTCER, 

203 Washington Street, 

186 7. 

v 



■> 



.t\3 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18G7, by 

WILLIAM V. SPENCER, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



LC Control Number 



tmp96 027433 



STEREOTYPE!) AT THE 
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUND 
NO. 4 SPRINQ LANE. 



PEEFACE. 



The writer of this little book makes no claim 
to originality, excepting in the plan and arrange- 
ment of it. 

She has availed herself, without hesitation, of 
the best words and thoughts of the living and 
of the dead which have come within her reach, 
feeling assured that this cannot impoverish them, 
while it will greatly enhance the value of her 
teachings. The preface of the book is, therefore, 
singly an acknowledgment of her many obliga- 
tions, and a hearty giving of thanks to the many 
kind friends who have aided her by advice, or 
suggestions, or criticisms; and, above all, to Him 
who inspired in her the desire to undertake the 
work, has given her so much pleasure in the exe- 



4 r RE FACE. 

cutioD, and has permitted her to bring it to a 
conclusion. 

To the parents or teachers into whose hands 
the book shall fall, she would say, Do not con- 
sider your work done for you; but rather let 
these few suggestions incite you to open your 
souls freely to Nature's teachings, and so best 
prepare yourselves to lead the hearts committed 
to your charge to the knowledge and love of 
the Creator and Author of all things. 

Uxbridge, 1867. 



CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTORY LESSON. — PART I. ..... 7 

INTRODUCTORY LESSON. — PART II 10 

THE SUN, 14 

LIGHT, 21 

THE EYE, 25 

NIGHT, 30 

THE STARS, 34 

AIR, . . . . 39 

WIND, 49 

WATER, 52 

THE SEA, 57 

BUDS, 66 

GRASS, 69 

GROWTH, 73 

HEN AND CHICKENS, 78 

BIRDS,. 82 

BIRDS' NESTS, 94 

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, 104 

TREES, 112 

HONEY BEES, 122 



6 CONTEXTS. 

THE LILY, 131 

THE RAINBOW, 136 

THE ANT, 142 

DEW, 149 

CLOUDS, 154 

MOSSES AND LICHENS, 161 

LITTLE THINGS, 168 

SEEDS, 177 

FRAGMENTS, 187 

LEAVEN, 195 

THE HUMAN BODY, 200 

LITE, 214 

SLEEP, 221 

DEATH, 225 

APPENDIX. 

SNOW, 233 

THE HEAVENS, 238 

THE MAGNET, ............ 241 

MOUNTAINS, ............ 245 



tang $>tu\m> lot ©ne f mmi. 



INTRODUCTORY LESSON* 
Part I. 

Ask now the beasts, and they will teach thee ; 
Or the fowls of the air, and they will tell thee ; 
Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct thee ; 
And the fishes of the sea will declare unto thee. 

Job xii. 7, 8. 

What is it that the earth, and the air, and the sea, 

and all that in them is, will teach us f 
Answer. About God, their Creator. 
Why shoidd we wish to know about God f 
Ans. Because He is always with us, and always 

will be ; and because we cannot be happy unless 

we love Him. 

What is necessary before we can love Him f 
Ans. That we should know something about 

Him. 

Where can we learn about Him f 
Ans. In His Word and in His works. 

* These introductory lessons are to be learned before beginning 
the book, at whatever season of the year that may be. 

(7) 



8 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Where can we find Sis Word? — 

Where shall we look for Sis works? — 

Do these both teach the same lesson ? 

Ans. They do. 

What is the lesso?i they teach f 

Ans. That God is great, and wise, and good. 

Which of Sis works teach Sis greatness, or 
power f 

Ans. The heavenly bodies and their motions; 
the mighty ocean, subject to Him alone ; and the 
great mountains, immovable, unchangeable to our 
view. 

Soio do we learn about Sis wisdom ? 

Ans. By seeing how everything which is made 
has its uses, and is fitted to the place it occupies, 
and helps everything else so as to make a perfect 
whole. 

If we do not see any use in any one of the Cre- 
ators works, what may we suppose ? 

Ans. That it is because of our own blindness. 
Remember how little was known of the Creator's 
works only a few hundred years ago, and how 
every year adds to our knowledge of them ; and 
that by and by our wisdom may seem like igno- 
rance to those who shall come after us. 

What tells us of Sis love f 

Ans. The tender care which He takes of even 
the smallest of His works, and the adaptation of 
everything to the pleasure or the well-being of 
man. 

What does Jesus tell us about these things f 

Ans. To consider the lilies of the field, by whom 



INTRODUCTORY LESSOR. 9 

they are clothed, and to behold the fowls of the 
air, and that our heavenly Father careth for them ; 
and to remember that not a sparrow falls to the 
ground without His notice, and that the very hairs 
of our heads are all numbered. 

What do we observe about all of GocPs works ? 

Ans. That all which He has done and made, He 
has made and done thoroughly and well. 

What does the Psalmist say of the works of 
God? 

Ans. " O Lord, how manifold are Thy works ! 
. In wisdom hast Thou made them all." Ps. civ. 24. 

What was David's delight f 

Ans. To dwell upon the Creator's works. 

What effect did this have upon him ? 

Ans. To fill his soul with the love of God. 

What further does he say about God's works? 

Ans. "The Lord shall rejoice in His works." 
Ps. civ. 31. 

What has a later poet found in GocPs works? 

Ans. 
" Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
Sermons in stones, and good in everything." 

What was Gods judgment of Sis own works? 
Ans. "And God saw everything that He had 
made, and behold, it was very good." Gen. i. 31. 



10 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

INTRODUCTORY LESSON. 
Part II. 

When we speak of the Creator's works, by what 
name do we usually call them f 

Ans. Nature. 

What does the word "nature" mean? 

Ans. It is taken from a word in another lan- 
guage which means born, or produced. 

What did the ancient Greeks call nature f 

Ans. Kosmos. 

What is the meaning of " kosmos " ? 

Ans. Beauty, order, and harmony. 

Was there not a peculiar fitness in this name? — 

What does Nature do for those who love her f 

Ans. " She leads them on from joy to joy," by 
improving the mind and feeding it with lofty 
thoughts, and "impressing it with quietness and 
beauty." 

What else does she do for the mind? 

Ans. She enlarges it and strengthens it. 

Sow is this done f 

Ans. By the effort which the mind makes to 
comprehend the operations of Nature, and in many 
other ways. 

What was the lesson which God?s tcorks im- 
pressed upon the mind of one great poet ? 



INTR OB TJCTOR Y LESS ON. \ \ 



" These are thy glorious works. Parent of good! 
Almighty ! Thine this universal frame. 
Thus wondrous fair, Thyself how wondrous then ! " 

What did another poet say of them ? 

Ans. 

" The heavens declare the glory of God, 

And the firmament showeth His handiwork ; 

Day unto day uttereth speech, 

And night unto night showeth knowledge." Ps. xix. 1, 2. 

Who in the Scriptures refer most frequently to 
God's works ? 

Ans. Solomon, and the writers of Job and 
Psalms. 

What is said of Solomon ? 

Ans. That " he spake of trees, from the cedar 
tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that 
springeth out of the wall ; he spake also of beasts, 
and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes." 
1 Kings iv. 33. 

Who was Solomon ? 

Ans. A king of Israel, to whom " God gave wis- 
dom and understanding exceeding much, and large- 
ness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea 
shore." 1 Kings iv. 29. 

Why did these poets and many others rejoice so 
much in Nature f ■ 

Ans. Because they " looked through Nature up 
to Nature's God." 

What other lessons do God's creations teach %is f 

Ans. Lessons for our guidance in life. 

What does a careful study of them enable man 
to do? 



12 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

A?is. To benefit himself and his fellow-man by 
many inventions. 

Mention instances. 

Ans. Many tools and implements of labor have 
been suggested by watching carefully the tools 
which God has given to the beasts, and birds, and 
insects, with which to do their work. 

What is another instance f 

Ans. A knowledge of the nature and laws pf 
electricity has led to the invention of lightning 
rods, for the protection of man ; of the galvanic 
battery, for the healing of certain of his diseases ; 
and of the magnetic telegraph, to carry his mes- 
sages all over the world. 

What higher lessons do we learn from the works 
of God? 

Ans. Many lessons about spiritual things. 

Mention one of these. 

Ans. We could not know what " Our Father, 
who art in heaven " means, if we had never seen an 
earthly parent, nor could we know anything about 
God's tender care of us. 

What other spiritual ideas do we get from Na- 
ture ? 

Ans. We get ideas of God's attributes. 

Mention instances. 

Ans. We learn about immensity from the ocean 
and the starry firmament ; about purity by seeing 
the snow and the dew-drop; and what we know 
of God's faithfulness we get from seeing some de- 
gree of it exercised by His creatures. 

What can we say of the teaching of God's works f 



INTRODUCTORY LESSON. 13 

Ans. That it is as varied and infinite as it is 
constant. 

What other advantage over other teaching has it? 

Ans. That it is free alike to old and young, high 
and low, rich and poor; and that the pleasure 
which we derive from it increases with old age, 
when other pleasures fail. 



14 MANY TEACUEKS l BUT ONE LESSON, 



FIRST SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 



How does God give light to His universe ? 

Ans. " God made two great lights ; the greater 
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule 
the night." Gen. i. 16. 

What is that greater light which God made f — 

What is the lesser light f — 

In what most important particular do they dif- 
fer? 

Ans. The sun shines by its own light ; the inoon 
borrows all of its light from the sun. 

What is the sun sometimes called f 

Ans. The king of day. 

In what respects is the sun like a king f — 

How does he rule the day f 

Ans. By determining the length of the day. 

What is the sun always doing f 

Ans. He is always giving. 

What does he give? 

Ans. He gives good gifts — light and heat. 

Could ice live without the light and heat f — 

To whom does the sun give his good gifts f 

Ans. To "the evil and the good." 

What else does he do for us f 

Ans. He marks off our lives into periods of 
time, giving us the changes of day and night, and 
all the pleasant varieties of the seasons ; giving us, 



FIB ST S UNDA Y IN JANUAR Y. 15 

also, our welcome anniversaries, our New Years, 
and oar birthdays. 

Why do we not thank the sun for all these boun- 
tiful gifts, and praise his great and glorious name f 

Ans. Because we remember that God is the real 
Giver. He maketh the sun to shine, and from His 
goodness springeth every gift. 

Have men ever towed down to the sun and wor- 
shipped it f 

Ans. Yes. Many years ago the Babylonians, 
the Assyrians, the Egyptians, and the Persians, all 
worshipped the sun, the moon, and the starry host. 

Is this worship mentioned in the Scriptures ? 

Aiis. Yes. The high priest Hilkiah is said to 
have "put down them that burned incense unto 
Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the plan- 
ets, and to all the host of heaven." 2 Kings xxiii. 5. 

Where else in the Scriptures is this worship men- 
tioned? 

Ans. In Zephaniah i. 5. 

What is supposed with regard to this ancient 
sun-worship f 

Ans. That it was really the worship of the in- 
visible, Supreme Being, through the most glorious 
of His visible works. 

Sow may we regard the sun ? 

Ans. As the natural emblem of God. 

How does it resemble Him ? — 

How do light and heat come from the sun to the 
earth f 

Ans. In rays, or lines. 

In what are they supposed to originate f 



16 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON 

A?is. In a luminous atmosphere surrounding the 
sun. 

Does the earth receive all the light and heat that 
the sun gives out f 

Ans. It has been estimated that it receives less 
than one two thousand millionth part of the whole 
supply. 

Are light and heat necessary to anything besides 
animal life f 

Ans. Yes. Some degree of them is necessary 
to vegetable life also. 

Does the sun give out any other rays excepting 
those which bring us light and heat f 

Ans. Yes. There are also rays which produce 
chemical changes in certain substances, which are 
called actinic rays, and the power which they exert 
is called actinism. 

What effect does actinism have upon plants f 

Ans. It causes them to germinate, or sprout. 

Is there always the same quantity of it f 

Ans. It varies with the time of day, and with 
the seasons. 

At what season of the year is there the most of it f 

Ans. In the spring. 

Why is it the most needed then f — 

Does actinism affect anything besides plants ? 

Am. It does; particularly certain preparations 
of silver. 

What has the discovery of this fact enabled man 
to do f 

Ans. To catch and preserve pictures of beauti- 
ful objects in nature, and of the features and ex- 
pression of those dear to liim. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 17 

SECOND SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 

the suit — (continued.) 

" In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun." 
Ps. xix. 4. 

To what does this refer ? 

Ans. To a previous verse, where it is said, " The 
heavens declare the glory of God." 

What is the most magnificent sight which we 
ever enjoy ? 

Ans. The rising of the sun. 

What precedes it, and what folloics it? — 

What is a fitting spectacle for the close of a day 
so ushered in ? 

Ans. The setting of the sun. 

By what is this followed? 

Ans. He sinks, 
"And leaves the smile of his departure spread 
O'er the warm-colored heaven and ruddy mountain head." 

Does the sun always rise and set in the same 
place ? 

Aiis. No. It varies from day to day, constant- 
ly going farther north for six months in the year, 
then for the other six months retracing its steps to 
the south. 

Which is the longest day in the year, or the day 
when the sun shines the most hours ? 
. Ans. June 21st, when it rises farthest to the 
north. 



18 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Which is the shortest day f 

Ans. December 22d, when it rises farthest to the 
south, and turns to go north again. 

Why does the sun appear to us to rise and set 
when we know tJmt it does neither f — 

What lesson does this teach us ? 

Ans. That our senses are liable to deceive us. 

How have mankind found out anything definite 
about a body so far distant from us as the sunf 

Ans. By careful study, and by experiments and 
observations made by the aid of powerful glasses. 

Have the men who find out all these wonderful 
things any more faculties than ice have ? — 

If we would learn of the hidden things of God, 
and the laws by which He acts, what must we do 
now? 

Ans. Strengthen and improve our minds in 
every possible way. 

How much does a powerful telescope magnify? 

Ans. One thousand times. 

What effect does that have f 

Ans. It is the same as if the object were brought 
a thousand times nearer to us. 

How far is the sun from us ? 

Ans. Ninety-five millions of miles. 

How does it compare with the earth in size ? 

Ans. It is more than a million times as large as 
the earth. 

Of what is the sun the centre f 

Ans. Of a cluster of planets, moons, and comets. 

What relation do these hold to the sun f 

Ans. They all revolve about it. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 19 

What do the whole form ? 

Ans. The solar system. 

Has the sun any motion of its own ? 

Ans. Yes. It revolves on its own axis. 

Mow much time does a revolution require f j 

Ans. Twenty-five and a half days. 

Has the sun any other motion f 

Ans. Yes. It has a path among the fixed stars. 

Who marked the paths of the sun, and of all 
the heavenly bodies, and keeps them in their ap- 
pointed way f — 

Why do they never come in collision, and dash 
each other to pieces f — 

What do these all do then f 

Ans. They all speak His praises. 

What idea of God do we get from a study of 
these mighty works of His f — 

Are the rays of the sun ever cut off from the 
earth f 

Ans. Yes. 

How f 

Ans. By the moon coming between the sun and 
the earth. 

What does that cause f 

Ans. Darkness and coldness. 

What is it called? 

Ans. An eclipse of the sun, or a solar eclipse. 

Are these eclipses governed by regular laws f 

Ans. They are. 

What ■ -results from this f 

Ans. The time of their return can be calculated 
thousands of years beforehand. 



20 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What do we learn by this P 

Ans. That order and regularity are attributes 
of God. 

What has been said about this ? 

Ans. " Order is Heaven's first law." 

Will the time ever come when we shall not need 
the light of the sun f 

Ans. In the life beyond the grave, " there shall 
be no night, and they shall need no candle, neither 
light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them 
light." Rev. xxii. 5. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 21 



THIRD SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 



What account have toe of the creation of light f 

Ans. " And God said, Let there be light ; and 
there was light." Gen. i. 3. 

What further is said of the light? 

Ans. " And God saw the light, that it was good." 
Gen. i. 4. 

Why is not this enough for us to know about the 
light? 

Ans. Because our heavenly Father reveals Him- 
self to us through His works, and we must study 
them to know Him. 

Were there any people upon the earth when God 
created the light ? — 

When God made man, did He so make him that 
the light shoidd do him good ? — 

How did God adapt man to the light ? 

Ans. By giving him eyes to use it, and an or- 
ganism to be benefited by it. 

Do you think God meant to do that when He 
made the light ? — 

What does this teach us about the Creator f — 

What did a wise man say, a very long time ago, 
about the light ? 

Ans. " Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant 
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." Eccl. 
xi. 7. 



22 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Is it any less pleasant noio than it teas then? — 

Would the light do us any good if ice had not 
eyes to see it f — 

Does it not do good to trees and plants ? — 

How? — 

Does it do us good in the same way that it does 
them ? — 

Would a person he well and strong vj/io had al- 
ways been kep>t in the dark ? — 

(The teacher may tell the story of Caspar Hau- 
ser.) 

Where does the light come from ? 

Ans. From the sun. 

How far does it have to come to reach us 9 

Ans. Ninety-five millions of miles. 

How fast does it travel? 

Ans. One hundred and ninety-two thousand 
miles in a second. 

How long does it take the light to come to us 
from the sun ? 

Ans. A little more than eight minutes. 

If we try to comprehend the magnitude of these 
distances, and the velocity of this motion, what 
idea of the Creator does it give us ? — 

Do we get light in any other way except from 
the sun ? 

Ans. Yes. Light is produced by electricity, by 
jmosphorescence, and by chemical action ; but all 
combined are as nothing compared to the one 
great source of light. 

How does the light come to us ? 

Ans. In rays, or lines. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 23 

What is the color of a ray of light f 

Ans. White. 

Of what is it composed,? 

Ans. Of a number of elementary rays, of dif- 
ferent colors. 

How may these he separated? 

Ans. By the aid of a triangular piece of glass, 
called a prism. 

What are these rays ? 

Ans. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, 
and violet ; and they always arrange themselves 
in this order. 

Which are the three primary colors ? 

Ans. Red, blue, and yellow; the others are pro- 
duced by the mixing or blending of these. 

Where have we all seen the light separated into 
the elementary colors ? 

Ans. In the rainbow. 

Why are some bodies white ? 

Ans. Because they reflect, or throw back, all 
the rays of light. 

Why are some black ? 

Ans. Because they absorb all the rays. 

What decides the color of an object ? 

Ans. The rays which it reflects ; if it reflects the 
blue rays, for instance, and absorbs all the others, 
it will be blue. 

Is light a source of pleasure to man alone ? — 

Ought not a perpetual hymn of praise to go up 
from God's creatures, if only for the light ? — 

What is said in Job about the light ? 



24 MANY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSON. 

Ans. " Upon whom cloth not his light arise ? " 
Job xxv. 3. 

As our bodies need natural light, do not our souls 
also need spiritual light f — 

From whence do they receive it f 

Ans. "Every good gift and every perfect gift 
is from above, and cometh down from the Father 
of lights." James i. 17. 

What does John say of the Source of light ? 

Ans. " God is light, and in Him is no darkness." 
1 John i. 5. 

What did Jesus say of himself to his disciples ? 

Ans. " I am the light of the world ; he that fol- 
loweth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall 
have the light of life." John viii. 12. 

What did he say to his disciples of themselves ? 

Ans. "Ye are the light of the world." Matt. 
v. 14. 

What did he mean by that ? — 

What did he enjoin upon them with regard to 
their light ? 

Ans. "Let your light so shine before men, that 
they may see your good works, and glorify your 
Father which is in heaven." Matt. v. 16. 

Can children be lights in the world? — 

What does Solomon liken to the light f 

Ans. " The path of the righteous is as the light 
of dawn, which groweth brighter and brighter 
unto the perfect day." Pro v. iv. 18.* 



* Noyes's translation. This translation has usually been adopted 
throughout the book. 



FO UR TH S UNBA T IN JANUAB T. 25 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 

THE EYE. 

If light was formed for the eye, for what was 
the eye no less formed f 

Ans. For the light. 

What did Jesus say of the eye f 

Ans. " The light of the body is the eye." Matt. 
vi. 22. 

What does that mean f — 

What are the eyes ? 

Ans. The windows of the body, through which 
the mind receives knowledge of outward things. 

When you look at a person's eye, lohat do you 
see? — 

Can you see the whole of the eye ? — 

What is its shape f 

Ans. It is a round ball. 

Where is this -placed for security f 

Ans. In a socket of bone. 

Would it answer as well if the eye were any other 
shape than round f — 

Why not? — 

What form the outer part of the eye f 

Ans. Three thin coats surrounding it. 

What is the use of the outside coat f 

A?is. To keep the eye in shape. 

What is the use of the second? 

Ans. It contains all the vessels which nourish 
the eye. 



26 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What is the purpose of the third? 

Ans. To receive the rays of light. 

What is there at the back of the eye ? 

Ans. A nerve connecting with the brain. 

What is its name ? 

Ans. The optic nerve. 

What is there within the three coats which enclose 
the eye f 

Ans. Three humors, or transparent substances. 

Has each its particular use f 

Aiis. It has. 

How does light get into the eye f 

Ans. Through the little round window in front, 
called the pupil. 

When the light has entered the eye, ichat does it 
do then ? 

Ans. It makes very small pictures of the objects 
from which the rays come, on the back of the eye. 

WJiat becomes of these little pictures f 

Ans. The optic nerve carries them to the brain, 
and the mind receives them. 

When the light is too strong for the eye, what 
takes place f 

A^is. The window becomes smaller. 

When there is not light enough, what then ? 

Ans. The window becomes larger, and lets in 
more light. 

How is this done ? 

Ans. By little cords in the colored part of the 
eye, which draw tighter when the window needs 
to be shut, making the opening smaller, and which 
loosen when it should be opened. 



FO UE TH S UNDA T IN JANUAR T. 27 

What is the colored part of the eye called ? 

Ans. The iris. 

If you wish to turn your eyes in any direction, 
how do they know it f 

Ans. By a message from the brain. 

How many ways can you move your eyes ? — 

Mow do you do it ? 

Ans. By the aid of bands or muscles which God 
has made for the purpose. 

If the eyes get tired, lohat can you do ? 

Ans. Close the little shutters with which God 
has furnished them. 

What are these shutters ? 

Ans. The eyelids. 

What other use have they ? 

Ans. To cleanse the eyes. 

What is the use of the fringe of lashes on the 
lidsf 

Ans. To keep out cold winds, and dust, and 
insects. 

What are the eyebrows for f 

Ans. They are like a roof or arch placed over a 
door or window to keep off the rain ; they also pre- 
vent perspiration from running into the eyes ; and 
they sometimes shield them from danger. 

What else is particularly noticeable about the eye ? 

Ans. A little sack of tears in the corner of the 
eye, to wash it, and keep it soft and clean. 

What becomes of tears after they have washed 
the eye f 

Ans. They run off into the nose through a tube 
which God has provided for the purpose. 



28 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Why has God given us two eyes f 

Ans. One sometimes rests the other; or if one 
is injured, the other is still left to us: in addition 
to this, the field of vision is widened, and more 
light is used. 

Can yon conceive of anything more perfect than 
the eye ? — 

Why is it so perfect ? 

Ans. It is the work of a perfect Being, made 
for His children whom He loves. 

What is said of Him who made the eye in JPs. 
xciv. 9 ? 

Ans. "He that formed the eye, shall He not 
see?" 

What does God see f 

Ans. " The eyes of the Lord are in every place, 
beholding the evil and the good." Prov. xv. 3. 

What further is said about this f 

Ans. 

"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, 
And He weigheth well all his paths." Prov. v. 21. 

Does God see any more clearly in the day than 
in the night ? 
Ans. 
" The darkness hideth not from Thee, 
But the night shineth as the day ; 
The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. " 
Ps. cxxxix. 12. 

WJiat does God say through his prophet Jere- 
miah f 

Ans. " For mine eyes are upon all their ways ; 
they are not hid from my face, neither is their in- 
iquity hid from mine eyes." Jer. xvi. 17. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 29 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JANUARY. 

See Lessor I. in the Appendix. 

^iT When a fifth Sunday occurs in any month, 
the Lesson for that Sunday will be found in the 
Appendix. As there can be only four months in 
the year which have five Sundays, there are only 
four Lessons given. 



30 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 



" Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? " 
The watchman said, " The morning cometh, and also the night." 

Isa. xxi. 11, 12. 

What question will we ask ourselves to-day ? 

Ans. "What of the night?" 

Why is this a fitting and profitable question for 
each one of us ? 

Ans. That we may avail ourselves of all the 
benefits to be derived from the return of night. 

When the light leaves us, and ice are left in dark- 
ness, why are we so fearless? 

Ans. Because we know the day will come again. 

How should ice feel if we had never known the 
night, and it were to come upon us for the first 
time ? — 

How do you suppose Adam and Eve felt when 
they saw the light of their first day fading from 
them, and the night coming on? — 

What did the night hide from them? — 

What did it reveal to them which the light had 
hid? — 

When night had passed, and the light returned^ 
what must have been their feelings then? — 

Have we not the same occasion for gratitude 
with each returning day that they had? — 

Wliy do we love the light ? 



FIRST S UNBA T IN FEBR UAR T. 31 

Ans. Because it is pleasant to behold, and be- 
cause of all the beauties which it reveals to us, and 
the blessings which it bestows. 

If light is so great a blessing, how can its oppo- 
site be a blessing also f 

Ans. Because our nature requires both, and we 
could no more do without one than without the 
other. 

For what is the night given f 

Ans. For rest and sleep. 

Why do we need rest f 

Ans. The body becomes weary, and if rest were 
denied, its powers would soon fail, and feebleness 
and death would ensue. 

Do all parts of the body require rest? 

Ans. The heart and lungs, and organs of circu- 
lation, never rest, nor cease their labors for an in- 
stant. 

Mention some of those parts which do require 
rest. 

Ans. The muscles, and brain, and eyes. 

To what part is darkness necessary for entire rest? 

Ans. To the eye. 

Was night made for the body alone f 

Ans. The spirit needs rest as much as the body. 

To what besides rest is the night favorable 2 

Ans. To reflection, and to communion with the 
Father of our spirits. 

What does David say in Ps. lxiii. 5, 6 ? 

Ans. 
" With joyful lips my mouth shall praise Thee, 
When I think of Thee upon my bed, 
And meditate on Thee in the night-watches." 



32 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

For what did Jesus make the night a season f 

Ans. For prayer. "And he went out into a 
mountain to pray, and continued all night in 
prayer to God." Luke vi. 12. 

Why is the night particularly favorable to reflec- 
tion and to prayer $ 

Ans. Because then God and good spirits seem 
nearer to us, and because the world, with its pleas- 
ures, and cares, and temptations, is withdrawn 
from us. 

What does the night help us to remember f 

Ans. Our past lives ; because without the divis- 
ions of day and night, we should scarcely be able 
to recall them at all. 

What else does the night give us ? 

Ans. A fresh starting-point each morning, when 
we may correct the errors of the preceding days, 
and begin anew, with higher aims and a firmer 
resolve. 

Do all men avail themselves of the uses of night, 
and become better and wiser by its opportunities f 

Ans. No. With many it is the season of im- 
pure thoughts and sinful deeds. 

What is said of such in John's Gospel, iii. 20 ? 

Ans. "For every one that doeth evil, hateth the 
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds 
should be reproved." 

How is it with those who use the night for good 
and holy purposes ? 

Ans. The light also is sweet and pleasant to 
them. 

What is said about the night in Ps. xix. 2? 



FIRST SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 33 

Ans. " Night unto night showeth knowledge." 

Of what does the night give us knowledge, which 
we cannot as well learn in the day f 

Ans. Of " countless orbs," to which the day had 
made us blind. 

Of what do these more than anything else tell us? 

Ans. Of the infinite power of Him whose work 
they are. 

Can we see farthest in the day or in the night ? — 

When can we hear the farthest f 

Ans. In the night; because then the air is 
clearer, and because so many sounds are hushed. 

If the night reveals so many things to us which 
are hid from us by day, what may we hope with 
regard to the night of death f — 

What should we always remember ? 

Ans. That " the day is Thine ; the night also is 
Thine ;" and so God shall be ever present with us. 



34 MANY TEACHEES, BUT ONE LESSON. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 

THE STARS. 

" He counteth the number of the stars ; 
He calleth them all by their names." Ps. cxlvii. 4. 

What was the teaching of the stars to the mind 
and heart of David? 
Ans. 

" Great is our Lord, and mighty in power ; 
His understanding is infinite." Ps. cxlvii. 5. 

What lesson do they teach us ? 

Ans. The same which they taught him. 

What advantage have the stars over all the other 
teachers which God has given us ? 

Ans. They speak in the night, when all other 
voices are silent. 

When we look up into the heavens on a clear 
night, ivhat do we see? 

Ans. The whole arch above us is studded with 
points of light. 

What are these little points of light? 

Ans. A very few of them are planets like our 
earth, revolving about the sun, and shining by his 
light, which they reflect; but almost the entire 
number are suns shining with their own light. 

What are these called? 

Ans. Fixed stars. 

Why are they called fixed stars ? 

Ans. Because they appear to remain always at 



SECOND SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 35 

the same distance from each other, and in the same 
relative position. 

From what does their apparent change of place 
in relation to us result f 

Ans. From the revolution of the earth around 
its axis. 

Do we know the size and distances of any of 
these stars ? 

Ans. Of the planets we do ; but only a little can 
we know with certainty of the fixed stars, on ac- 
count of their immense distance from us. 

Mow far are the planets from us ? 

Ans. Millions of miles. 

Sow far is the nearest fixed star calculated to 
be? 

Ans. Thirty-two billions of miles. 

What is this star called^ 

Ans. Sirius, or the dog star. 

How long does it take the light of Sirius to 
reach us ? 

Ans. Travelling at the rate of twelve millions 
of miles in a minute, it will require more than a 
year to reach us. 

How long does it take the light of the more re- 
mote fixed stars to reach us, travelling at the same 
rate? 

Ans. Hundreds of years. 

Do these stars appear to be at equal distances 
from each other? 

Ans. No. They appear arranged in groups, 
which are called constellations. 

Are the stars in the same group near each other ? 



36 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Arts. No. There are doubtless immense dis- 
tances between them. 

Do these groups change from year to year f 

Ans. The writer of the book of Job, many 
thousand years ago, knew and mentioned constel- 
lations and stars which we see now. 

Which were these ? 

Ans. Writing of God, he says, — 

"He made Arcturus, Orion, and the Pleiads, 
And the secret chambers of the south." Job ix. 9. 

And in another place, — 

" Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiads, 
Or loosen the chains of Orion? 
Canst thou lead forth the Signs in their season, 
Or guide the Bear, with her sons ? " Job xxxviii. 31, 32. 

Is more known about the stars now than was 
known in those days f 

Ans. Every age is making new discoveries: 
within this last century more has been learned 
about them than was ever known before. 

To what is this owing, in a great measure ? 

Ans. To very great and important improve- 
ments, and increase of power in telescopes. 

What was the first discovery that this led to? 

Ans. That in the remote regions of space re- 
volve other systems, glorious as ours, and these at 
immeasurable distances from each other. 

Sow many of those systems have been defined'} 

Ans. More than a thousand in the northern 
hemisphere alone. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 37 

Are these systems shaped alike t 

Ans. No. There is every variety of shape; 
scarcely two are alike. 

What else has been discovered? 

Ans. That in some cases two suns, and some- 
times three, and sometimes more, revolve around a 
common centre of gravity : when there are only 
two they are called double stars; and many of 
these have been noticed. 

What other fact has the telescope revealed? 

Ans. A difference in the color of light coming 
from different stars, which is much more noticeable 
in climates where the atmosphere is clearer than 
ours. Some shine with a white light, while of 
others the colors are yellow, or red, or violet, or 
blue. 

To whom is the world indebted for the greater 
part of these discoveries f 

Ans. To Sir William Herschel, who died in Eng- 
land, 1822, and to his son John Herschel. 

By whom was Sir William aided in all his 
labors ? 

Ans. By his devoted and untiring sister, who 
shared his exposures, his labors, and his night 
watches, and w T ho wrote down all of his observa- 
tions. 

What else do we notice in the heavens in a clear 
night? 

Ans. A milky appearance of a portion of the 
heavens, which has given it the name of the Milky 
Way. 

What has this been ascertained to be ? 



38 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. A belt or ring of stars in the regions of 
space, composed of many millions of stars, and of 
which our system forms a part. 

Is it probable that all has been learned about the 
stars which ever tcill be known ? 

Ans. This is not at all probable ; in every sci- 
ence, each age gives us many new discoveries. 

What should be the aim, and result of all these 
additions to our store of knowledge f 

Ans. To bring us nearer to Him who created all 
things, and is the Source of all knowledge. 

Is it enough that our minds comprehend Ills 
wisdom and His power f 

Ans. No. It is only by having our hearts filled 
with the love of His love, that we really draw nigh 
to Him. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 39 



THIRD SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 



" And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and 
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." Gen. ii. 7. 

What is this breath of life f 

Ans. Common air passing in and out of our 
lungs, and without which we cannot live. 

What can you say of our supply of it ? 

Ans. It is provided for us everywhere, and at all 
times, so that we need not so much as ask for it, or 
reach forth our hand to take it. 

Hoio much air does a man require for breath- 
ing f 

Ans. A pint of air is received into the lungs at 
each inspiration, and more than a hundred barrels 
are used in a day. 

What is air ? 

Ans. It is the fluid by which our earth is en- 
tirely surrounded. 

Hoio high above the earth does it extend? 

Ans. Forty or fifty miles. 

As no one lias ever been a tenth part of that dis- 
tance from the surface of the earth, hoio was that 
ascertained? 

Ans. The air was found to diminish in density 
as we ascend in it ; and it has been proved also to 
diminish in a regular ratio, so that it was easy to 
calculate when it would cease entirely. 



40 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Can we see the air f 

Ans. We can neither see, taste, nor smell the 
air. 

Why can we not see it f 

Ans. Because it is transparent. 

Is it colorless also f 

Ans. It has a faint tinge of blue, so faint that 
it can only be seen when looking up at the whole 
volume of air. 

Sow do we know that it exists, if we cannot 
see it f 

Ans. We see its effects, and we feel it when it 
is set in motion. 

What sets it in motion ? 

Ans. Heat, by the change which it produces in 
it, making it lighter, so that it rises, and the cool 
air rushes in to take its place. 

When air is in motion, what name do we give it f 

Ans. Wind. 

Is the air near the earth's surface colder or 
warmer than at a distance from it f 

Ans. Much warmer. 

What proof have we of this f 

Ans. Perpetual snow on the tops of all high 
mountains. 

What is the cause of its greater warmth near the 
earth; s surface f 

Ans. The sun's rays passing through the air do 
not heat it ; it is heated by lying in contact with 
the warm earth ; so the nearer the earth, the warm- 
er it is. 

What is the advantage to us of the transparency 
of the air $ — 



THIRD S TJNDA T IN FEBR UAR Y. 41 

What other property has it ? 

Ans. It is exceedingly elastic ; that is, it re- 
bounds or springs back when it has been pressed. 

How has this been proved? 

Ans. It has been compressed into more than a 
thousandth part of its usual bulk, and it has been 
known to expand to more than two thousand times 
that bulk. 

What benefit do ice derive from this? 

Ans. It is in consequence of this property of the 
air that we hear sounds. 

Sow is that? 

Ans. The ear is an exceedingly delicate organ, 
and every vibration of the air produces an impres- 
sion upon it, and the elasticity of the air is so great 
that every motion in it causes vibrations. 

At what rate do these vibrations pass through 
the air ? 

Ans. They move more than a quarter of a mile 
a second, or nine hundred miles an hour. 

Do all sounds travel at that rate ? 

Ans. They do. 

Is anything known which travels faster ? 

Ans. Yes. Light travels nearly eight hundred 
thousand times as fast. 

If the air were not elastic, what should we 
lose? — 

Of what is the air composed? 

Ans. Of three elements; oxygen, nitrogen, and 
carbonic acid gas. 

In what proportion are they mixed? 



42 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. One part of oxygen to four of nitrogen, 
and one part in a hundred of carbonic acid gas. 

What is the use of the oxygen f 

Ans. It is that part of the air which sustains 
our life ; and it is that which causes fuel to burn, 
and keeps our bodies warm also. 

Why would not oxygen alone have answered as 
well for us to breathe f 

Ans. It would have burned us up ; animals 
placed in it die in great agony. 

Could we not live in the nitrogen alone ? 

Ans. No. There is nothing in it to support life. 

What, then, is the use of the nitrogen f 

Ans. To dilute the oxygen, and make it safe for 
man's use. 

Do any other 'proportions of oxygen and nitro- 
gen than those in which the Creator has combined 
them, answer for man to breathe f 

Ans. They do not. 

How does the oxygen act upon our bodies ? 

Ans. It combines with the carbon in our blood, 
and produces carbonic acid gas. 

Is this gas good for us f 

Ans. ISTo. If it remains in our systems it pro- 
duces drowsiness, stupor, and death. 

What is the advantage, then, of the oxygen and 
carbon combining f 

Ans. In that way heat is given out, and our 
bodies are kept warm ; while the carbonic acid gas 
is all sent out of our systems by the compression 
of the lungs. 

What is the nature of carbonic acid gas f 



THIRD SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 43 

Ans. It is a deadly poison ; more than one part 
to one hundred in the air would be injurious to us, 
and five parts to one hundred would kill us. 

For what is it made, then f 

Ans. Plants use it as animals do oxygen; both 
breathe the same air; the animals use the oxygen 
of the air, and discard the carbonic acid gas; while 
the vegetable world extracts the carbonic acid gas 
from the atmosphere, and gives back the oxygen. 

What do we see i?i this arrangement f 

Ans. Proofs of infinite wisdom and love. 

If the oxygen of the air mixes with our blood, 
and the carbonic acid gas which is sent out is a 
deadly poison, what folloics from this? 

Ans. That we require a constant supply of 
fresh air. 

What would be the result if we were shut up in 
a small room made air-tight f 

Ans. After a time we should use all the oxygen 
of the air, and then die. 

What is the residt lohen a good many people are 
in a room together with the doors and windows 
shut? 

Ans. The air soon becomes unfit to breathe, and 
very injurious. 

Why are people who work out of doors generally 
strong and healthy f — 

What is the duty of people whose life is mostly 
in doors f 

Ans. To let in the fresh air as much as possible. 

How should air be taken into the lungs f 

Ans. Through the nose. 



44 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because God has lined the nose with little 
hairs, which, crossing each other, make a sieve, 
which retains all impurities. 

What practice should always be avoided as un- 
healthy f 

Ans. The practice of breathing through the 
mouth. 

Is it not a duty to avoid anything which we 
know to be unhealthy? 



FO UR TH S TJNDA T IN FEBR UAR T. 45 

FOURTH SUNDAY m FEBRUARY. 

air — (continued.) 

What effect does air have upon the light ? 

Ans. It reflects and refracts it. 

What results from this % 

Ans. The brightness and cheerfulness of day. 

What would be the result if the rays of light 
passed straight through the air, without being turned 
out of their course or thrown back ? 

Ans. We should see only the sun and objects 
which reflected its light to us, which would appear 
like blazing bodies in a dark night. 

Has the air weight f 

Ans. It has. 

What results from tliis ? 

Ans. That the air is much more dense near the 
earth's surface than at a distance from it, and better 
suited for man to breathe. 

What is the pressure of the air upon a man's 
body? 

Ans. On an average-sized man it is estimated 
at fourteen and a half tons, or enough to crush 
him to atoms. 

Why does he not feel this f 

Ans. Because there is an equal pressure on all 
parts, from without and from within. 

Does the air hold anything suspended in it f 

Ans. Yes. Moisture. 



46 MAXY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSOX. 

WJiat results from this capacity of the air? 

Ans. Evaporation from ocean, lake, and river. 

Wliat is the benefit of this as regards the ocean ? 

Ans. That with all the water running into it, it 
may never overflow. 

What is necessary with regard to it % 

Ans. That infinite wisdom should exactly bal- 
ance the amount taken up and carried off, by that 
which is constantly pouring in from so many 
sources. 

Could anything short of infinite wisdom, and 
knowledge, and power, do this ? — 

Do we ever see this moisture suspended in the air? 

Aiis. Yes. In fogs, mists, and clouds. 

Does the air restore this moisture to the earth ? 

Ans. It does ; in the form of dew, rain, hail, and 
snow. 

What is another service of the air ? 

Ans. It is the great receptacle for all impurities 
which result from the decomposition of animal and 
vegetable matter. 

What becomes of these ? 

Ans. They are disposed of in various ways; 
some rise into the higher regions of the atmos- 
phere, some enter into new combinations and are 
washed down to the earth by the rains. 

Is the air inhabited? 

Ans. It is ; by myriads of birds and insects. 

What has the Creator given these to enable them 
to move about in their native element? 

Ans. Wings. 

How else are they adapted to their airy home ? 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 47 

Arts. By their whole structure. 

Has the air more inhabitants than we can see? 

Aiis. The microscope reveals an innumerable 
number of exceedingly minute animal organiza- 
tions. 

What else has the atmosphere been found by ex- 
periment to contain f 

Ans. An inconceivable number of the spores or 
seeds of microscopic plants. 

What becomes of these ? 

Ans. They lodge on bread or cheese, and grow 
into mould ; or on linen and silk, and produce mil- 
dew ; or they take root in vegetables, and produce 
rot or blight. 

What is the size of these floating particles f 

Ans. Some are one five-thousandth of an inch 
in diameter, others as large as one two-thousandth. 

What does David say of the Creator's works in 
Ps. cxxxix. 14? 

Ans. " Marvellous are Thy works ; and this my 
soul knoweth full well." 



48 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY. 

See Appendix. 



IIBST SUNDAY IN MARCH. 49 



FIRST SUNDAY IN MARCH. 



" And God made a wind to pass over the earth." Gen. viii. 1. 

What can you say of the wind? 

A?is. It is powerful and mighty, and fierce as an 
angry lion ; and it is also as mild and gentle as a 
loving word. 

Can you see the wind? — 

How do you know that there is any wind? — 

What does the wind do in a stormy night? 

Ans. It moans, and shrieks, and whistles, and 
howls. 

What does it do in a summer's day ? 

Ans. It gently rustles the leaves of the trees, 
and stirs the long grass, and fans the heated face. 

What does the wind sometimes do with trees and 
houses ? — 

What does it do with great fires ? — 

What with the waters in the sea ? — 

What with the ships on the sea f — 

What with the clouds in the shy? — 

What with the seeds of trees and plants f — 

What with the strings of the u^Eolian harp? — 

What does it do for the air that we breathe f — 

What for us in a hot day f — 

WJiat with the bad odors which rise from the 
earth ? — 



50 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What does it bring into sick rooms ? — 

What labors does it perform for man? 

Ans. It turns windmills, which draw up water 
and grind grain ; and it fills the sails of vessels. 

What, then, may the wind be called? 

Ans. A friend, comforter, and helper of man. 

What is wind? 

Ans. Air in motion. 

What causes wind? 

Ans. Different degrees of heat and cold ; heat 
making air lighter, so that it rises, and colder air 
rushes in to take its place. 

By what is the character of winds determined? 

Ans. By the surfaces over which they blow: 
those which traverse deserts are dry and hot ; those 
which blow over the ocean are full of moisture ; 
those which come from the ice regions chill us by 
their coldness. 

At what rate does wind move ? 

Ans. A slight wind, which is scarcely percepti- 
ble to us, moves a mile in an hour ; while a hurri- 
cane, that tears up trees, passes on at the rate of 
one hundred miles in the same time. 

Are there any regxdar icinds known ? 

Ans. In the torrid zone there is a wind steadily 
blowing from east to west, passing round the globe. 
These currents of air are called trade winds. Be- 
sides these there are, in warm countries, on all 
coasts, land and sea breezes, which blow from the 
sea to the land through the day, from the land to 
the sea through the night. 

Where does David say the winds come from ? 



FIRST SUNDAY IN MARCH. 51 

Ans. " He briDgeth the wind out of His treasu- 
ries." Ps. cxxxv. 7. 

Who besides David has spoken of it in that way ? 

Ans. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. 

What is kept in treasuries ? 

Ans. Precious things. 

Why is the wind said to be brought from God's 
treasuries ? — 

For what purpose does He bring it forth? 

Ans. For the good of His children. " O that 
men would praise the Lord for His goodness, for 
His wonderful works to the children of men." Ps. 
cvii. 8. 

What did Jesus say about the wind? 

Ans. " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and 
thou nearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell 
whence it cometh or whither it goeth; so is every 
one who is born of the Spirit." John iii. 8. 

What did Jesus mean by this ? 

Ans. He meant that God breathes upon men's 
souls in many ways to make them serve Him better 
and love Him more ; that often the influence of His 
Spirit is silent and unseen, but that none the less 
certain of its workings may we be, if only the fruit 
of the Spirit exists. 

Wliat is the fruit of the Spirit? 

Ans. "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle- 
ness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance." 
Gal. v. 22, 23. 



52 MANY TEACHERS BUT ONE LESSON. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MARCH. 

WATER. 

" When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their 
tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of 
Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and 
fountains in the midst of the valleys ; I will make the wilderness a 
pool of water, and the dry land springs of water, that they may see 
and know and consider, and understand together, that the hand of 
the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." 
Isa. xli. 17, 18, 20. 

What is this which the prophet Isaiah wrote so 
many years ago t 

A?is. A promise of God to the children of Israel. 

Did God do these things for the Israelites alo?ie> 
or is He still doing them for all His children P — 

What is the most obvious purpose of the creation 
of icater ? 

Ans. To quench thirst. 

Does it answer that purpose perfectly ? — 

Coidd man or beast exist without it f — 

In what other way is it essential to man P 

Ans. It is necessary to his cleanliness, and so to 
his health. 

What other use does he make of it f 

Ans. With it he cooks his food. 

How else does it serve him f 

Ans. It turns an innumerable number of great 
wheels which keep machinery at work, making for 
him paper, and cloth, and ribbons, and needles and 
pins, and articles of wood and of iron ; and grind- 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MARCH. 53 

ing his grain, and sawing his logs, and planing his 
boards, and very many other things. 

When we see a piece of workmanship which an- 
swers exactly the purpose for which it was made, 
what does it prove of the maker of it f 

Ans. His unrivalled skill. 

If the maker of the work was also the inventor 
of it, what else does it prove f 

Ans. His wisdom, as well as his skill. 

If the design of the invention was evidently to 
do good, or to confer happiness, what further does 
it prove? 

Jins. The goodness and loving-kindness of the 
inventor. 

If the same invention answers several beneficent 
and important purposes equally well, is it not a 
still stronger proof of the wisdom, and skill, and 
love of the creator f — 

May not all these things be said of the subject 
of our lesson for to-day f — 

Can we think of any substance more powerful, 
more wonderful in its nature, more universally dif- 
fused, than water ? — 

How great a portion of the earitis surface is 
covered with it ? 

Ans. More than two thirds. 

Does it enter into the composition of our bodies f 

Ans. It does, very largely ; and into the bodies 
of all other animals. 

Sow large a proportion of our bodies is water ? 

Ans. Three fourths. 

If this were all withdrawn, what would follow f 



54 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Arts. We should crumble to dust. 

Of what else does it form a large part? 

Ans. Of all vegetable life. 

'Which was created first, man or water ? Gen. i. 

Of what use was water before man was created? 

Ans. It helped by its currents to shape the earth 
and arrange its solid particles in the best possible 
manner. 

What else has it done for the earth ? 

A?is. It has filled in the deep places with rich 
soil, so that they shall blossom and bear fruit. It 
has given nourishment, and so life, to all vegetable 
forms. It has furnished a home for all the fish, 
and many lower forms of life, and supplied drink 
to quench the thirst of man, and bird, and beast. 

Does water come to us at all times, as air 
does f — 

What must we do when we need it f 

Ans. Seek it, or reach forth our hand and 
take it. 

Why is this difference ? 

Ans. Waking or sleeping, we cannot subsist a 
single moment without air; therefore the All-wise 
has given that to us without any effort of ours ; 
but water we only need at intervals. 

What is the nature of water ? 

Ans. It is a tasteless, colorless, transparent fluid. 

What other property has it? 

A?is. Coolness. 

What are the advantages of each of tliese prop- 
erties f — 

Of what are all bodies of water made up ? 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MARCH. 55 

Arts. Of separate drops. 

While these drops appear so clear and transpar- 
ent to us, of what are they oftentimes the abode f 

Ans. Of myriads of living beings, of every va- 
riety of form. 

How many have been calculated to a single drop 
of stagnant water? 

Ans. Five hundred millions. 

What are the component parts of water f 

Ans. Two gases — oxygen and hydrogen. 

What very curious fact respecting these can you 
mention ? 

Ans. Separately, they both burn readily ; com- 
bined in the proportion to form water, they are 
used to put out fire. 

What changes does water undergo^ beginning 
with its place in the seas f 

Ans. Vapor, clouds, rain, brooks, rivers, and so 
back to the ocean again. 

What is its -natural form? 

Ans. Liquid. 

What agents act upon it? 

Ans. Heat and cold. 

Into what form does heat change it, and what 
then becomes of it f — 

What does cold do to it, and what form does it 
then take ? — 

What effect does cold have upon tnost bodies f 

Ans. It causes them to contract. 

Does it have this effect upon water ? 

Ans. It contracts it to a certain degree of cold- 
ness, and then, by crystallizing the particles, it 
causes them to expand. 



56 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What is the wisdom of this exception to the gen- 
eral rule ? 

Ans. If water contracted by freezing, it would 
become heavier, and sink as it became solid, till 
lakes, and ponds, and rivers, would be entirely- 
frozen up, and all the inhabitants thereof die, and 
man perish for want of drink. 

What is a striking characteristic of water f 

Ans. Its purity. 

In what religious rite is it used? 

Ans. In baptism. 

Why is this f 

Ans, Because of its cleansing property, it is a 
type of spiritual purity. 

How long has it been used in this way ? 

Ans. From a very early period. 

What was the ancient type of spiritual cleans- 
ing? 

Ans. Bathing in certain rivers. 

Does any body of Christians still perform bap- 
tism by going doion into the water ? — 

What is the more common mode? — 

What was David's prayer? 

Ans. " Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 
and cleanse me from my sins." Ps. li. 2. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN MARCH, 57 



THIRD SUNDAY IN MARCH. 

THE SEA. 

" They who go down to the sea in ships, 
And do business in great waters, 
These see the works of the Lord, 
And His wonders in the deep." Ps. cvii. 23, 24. 

When we speak of the sea, what do we include f 

Ans. All the seas, and all the oceans on the face 
of the earth. 

Hoio much of the earth! s surface does it occupy ? 

Ans. About three fourths. 

Of what is the mighty ocean made up ? 

Aits. Of little drops of water, any one of which 
might be taken up on the point of a pin. 

What is the appearance of the sea? 

Ans. Sometimes it is as smooth as glass ; some- 
times it tumbles and tosses about, lashed into foam, 
and dashing over the great rocks on the shore. 

Does it give out any sound? 

Ans. Its waves roll in upon the beach, some- 
times with a gentle, lulling sound, sometimes with 
a great crash, like a sudden peal of thunder. 

What does a strong wind do to the sea f 

Ans. It drives its waters up into great angry- 
waves, whose tops are crested with white foam, and 
which chase each other over the surface of the sea. 

How high do these waves rise f 

Ans. Not often more than ten feet above the 



58 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

surface of the sea ; but as there is a corresponding 
depression of ten feet, they measure twenty feet in 
height. 

Hoio fast do they run f 

Ans. About thirty or forty miles an hour. 

Does the water itself move at that rate ? 

Ans. "No. Excepting on the beach, where it 
cannot sink down, the water remains nearly in the 
same place, simply rising and falling ; it is only the 
form of the wave which advances. 

What other motion has the sea? 

Ans. It rises and falls in tides, at regular inter- 
vals. 

How often do the tides rise and fall? 

Ans. Twice every day. 

To ichat are tides owing f 

Ans. To the attraction of the moon and of the 
sun. 

Do these act together, or do they counteract each 
other f 

Ans. At the new and full moon they act in con- 
cert, and form high tides, which are called spring 
tides ; between these times they act in opposition, 
and the tides are small, and called neap tides. 

How high do tides rise f 

Ans. In mid-ocean about three feet; but where 
the sea rushes into narrow channels there is some- 
times a difference of sixty or seventy feet between 
high and low water mark. 

What other motions has the sea f 

Ans. There are many currents in its waters, so 
that the water is constantly changing its jjlace. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN MARCH. 59 

What are some of these currents ? 

Ans. There is a constant current of cold water 
setting from the poles to the equator, and a coun- 
ter-current of hot water from the equator to the 
poles. 

What is the most marked current in the ocean? 

A?is. The Gulf Stream, which flows north-east 
from the Gulf of Mexico. 

How do its waters differ from the surrounding 
water ? 

Ans. " It is a well-defined river of warm water 
flowing between banks of cold water," and its color 
is blue, while that of the ocean at its sides is green. 

What is there underneath this current of warm 
water ? 

Ans. A current of cold water flowing in the 
opposite direction. 

Is there any part of the ocean ichere there are 
no currents? 

Ans. Yes. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 
is a great silent sea, into which are washed whole 
islands of weeds, and which is called the Sea of 
Weeds, or the Sargossa Sea. 

How large is this sea ? 

Ans. At least twenty times as large as the Brit- 
ish Isles. 

What is the nature of the water of the ocean ? 

Ans. It is strongly impregnated with salt, and 
with various other mineral substances. 

Where do these come from ? 

Ans. They are continually washed in from the 
land, by all the waters which run into the sea, and 



60 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

all such as are contained in the bed of the ocean 
the water dissolves. 

What becomes of all these mineral substances ? 

Ans. The inhabitants of the sea take them up 
for their nourishment, and their materials of labor; 
the coral insects make banks and reefs, and the 
shell-fish their shells, of the lime ; and the plants 
of the sea take up the salts and the soda, and many 
other things ; all of it is needed ; none of it is 
wasted. 

Why does the sea never get too full, with im- 
mense rivers pouring their waters constantly into Uf 

Ans. Just as much water as runs in, just so 
much the air pumps off, and carries away in mist 
and vapor, to be returned to the earth and sea in 
rain and snow, and by the constant flow of rivers. 

Who has made them equal? 

Ans. He "who hath measured the waters in the 
hollow of His hand, . . . and weighed the moun- 
tains in scales, and the hills in a balance." Isa. 
xl. 12. 

What do we know about the bottom of the sea f 

Ans. It has mountains and valleys, like the land. 

How deep is it in the deepest places f 

Ans. The deepest place that has been measured 
was nearly six miles. 

Can the sea, icith all its mighty leaves, and cur- 
rents, and tides, be ruled f 

Ans. 
" Who is mighty like Thee, Jehovah? 
Thou rulest the raging of the sea ; 
When the waves thereof rise, Thou stillest them." 
Ps. lxxxix. 8, 9. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN MARCH. 61 

JETow can the Lord do this f 

Ans. " The Lord on high is mightier than the 
noise of many waters; yea, than the mighty waves 
of the sea." Ps. xciii. 4. 

What is related of Jesus ? 

Ans. " He rebuked the wind, and said unto the 
sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and 
there was a great calm." Mark iv. 39. 

What did Jesus say of his wonderful works f 

Ans. He said, "The Father who dwelleth in 
me, He doeth the works." John xiv. 10. 



62 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN MARCH. 

the sea — (continued.) 

What does David say about the sea in Ps. 
xxxiii. 7? 
Ans. 

" He gathereth the waters of the sea as a heap : 
He layeth up the deep in storehouses." 

What is a storehouse f 

Ans. A building where goods of any kind are 
kept. 

How is the sea a storehouse ? 

Ans. There is stored up in it a great supply of 
food for man, and for all the inhabitants of the sea; 
there are quantities of salt, and supplies of soda, 
and potash, and iodine ; and there are sponges, and 
corals, and pearls, and beautiful shells, and many 
other precious things. 

Sow may the sea be likened to a great garden f 

Ans. Plants of almost every form and color 
grow in its depths, or are found floating on its sur- 
face. 

How is the sea a vast museum f 

Ans. Because of the wonderful things it con- 
tains ; the great floating islands of ice, the curious 
fish, the mosses, the shells, the coral formations, the 
richly colored plants, the beautiful round peb- 
bles, &c. 



FO UR TH S VXD A Y IN MAE CH. 63 

Why is the sea sometimes called a highway? 

Ans. Because thousands of people traverse its 
surface in various directions, and the produce of all 
countries is carried across it. 

To what is the sea a home ? 

Ans. To an innumerable number of fish, both 
great and small, and to myriads of little animals 
and insects ? 

To whom is the sea a burial-place ? 

Ans. To the very many who have died in cross- 
ing its waters, and been consigned to its depths, 
and to the mighty hosts of its inhabitants. 
XV hat is found at the bottom of the sea ? 

Ans. The mud, when brought up and examined 
under the microscope, has been found to be com- 
posed entirely of shells and skeletons of animals, 
so small as to be invisible to the unaided eye. 

Of what do these tell us? 

Ans. Of the infinite number of minute beings 
which have lived and died in the sea from the 
foundations of the world. 

What may ice say of these ? 

Ans. That not one of them has fallen to its rest- 
ing-place without our Father's notice. 

What does David say of the sea ? 

Ans. 
"Lo, this great and wide sea! 
In it are moving creatures without number ; — 
Animals small and great. 
There go the ships ; 

There is the leviathan, which thou hast made to play therein. 
All these wait on Thee, 



64 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

To give them their food in due season. 
Thou givest it to them, they gather it; 
Thou openest Thine hand, they are satisfied with good." 

Ps. civ. 25-28. 

What promise of God is associated with the sea ? 

Ans. " For the earth shall be full of the knowl- 
edge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 
Isa. xi. 9. 

What prophet repeats this promise f 

Ans. Habakkuk, ii. 14. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN MARCH. 65 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN MARCH. 

See Appendix. 



66 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN APRIL. 

BUDS. 

" For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and 
retumeth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring 
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the 
eater, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth." Isa. 
lv. 10, 11. 

What is the order of development in vegetable 
tye? 

Ans. Bud, blossom, and fruit. 

Is this an accidental arrangement, or is it one 
of God's laws? — 

Besides blossom and fruit, what else springs 
from buds ? 

Ans. Leaves. 

Are buds all alike, then ? 

Ans. There are three kinds; buds which con- 
tain leaves alone, buds which contain blossoms 
alone, and those which contain leaves and blos- 
soms. 

Mention instances of buds which send forth 
leaves and blossoms. 

Ans. They are found in grape-vines, where 
branches many feet in length, covered with broad 
leaves and rich clusters of juicy fruit, spring from 
little brown, woolly buds; in the lilac, with its 
plume-like flowers ; and in the horse-chestnut trees, 
whose swollen buds seem to wait for the coming 
of spring. 



FIRST SUNDAY IX APRIL. 67 

What did a German botanist, looking through a 
microscope, discover in a single horse-chestnut bud 
no larger than a pea f 

Ans. Twenty-eight leaves, and a spike of sixty 
flowers. 

Can you think of anything ichich you have ever 
Jcnoicn more wonderful than this f — 

Of ichat is the outside of buds formed? 

Ans. Of little scales lapping over each other 
like the scales of a fish, or like shingles or slates on 
a roof. 

Why are buds so made f 

Ans. To keep the tender shoot safe from cold 
and wet. 

What further protection have the tender buds of 
some trees and plants f 

Ans. A coating of gum, or resin, which no 
moisture can penetrate. 

What is found inside the scales of some kinds 
of buds, in very cold climates f 

Ans. A downy liniug, which has been likened 
to an infant's soft cradle-blanket. 

At what season of the year are the buds of trees, 
shrubs, and vines, formed f 

Ans. At the close of summer. 

Where are the buds formed? 

Ans. At the root of every leaf: each leaf has 
an infant bud committed to its keeping, which it 
feeds and protects till the bud is strong enough to 
live alone ; and then, the leaf being ripe, and hav- 
ing done its work, drops off and falls to the ground. 

What becomes of the life of the bud then ? 



68 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. It sleeps in the bud all through the winter. 
What do the buds contain wrapped up within 



Ans. The vegetation of the next year. 

Why are they so carefully guarded from the in- 
clemency of winter f 

Ans. That seed-time and harvest may never fail. 

What is the laio of their formation f 

Ans. They are always seen on the end of 
branches, where they enclose the new branches for 
the next year, and at stated distances from each 
other, through the whole length of each twig. 

What takes place in the tree before the buds can 
begin to sioell in the spring f 

Ans. The warmth of earth and air causes the 
sap to swell in the roots, and afterwards to creep 
up the trunk in the little tubes, till it reaches the 
buds and starts them into life. 

What is a noticeable fact about the growth and 
swelling of buds f 

Ans. Though it changes the whole face of na- 
ture, it is a perfectly noiseless process. 

Do cdl buds form, and swell, and burst, at the 
same time? — 

Are any buds of use to man, except by the les- 
sons which they teach him f 

Ans. Yes. Some are used as spices, and some 
as medicines. 

What have been likened to flower-buds f 

Ans. The little children. 

In what respect are they like flower-buds ? 



SECOND SUNDAY IN APRIL. 69 



SECOND SUNDAY IN APRIL. 



" Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; 
Sing praises upon the harp to our God ! 
Who covereth the heavens with clouds, 
"Who prepareth rain for the earth, 
Who causeth grass to grow upon the mountains." 

Ps. cxlvii. 7, 8. 

How does David evidently regard the grass? 

Ans. As one of God's best blessings to the 
earth ; worthy of praise and thanksgiving to the 
Creator. 

In what does its great value consist ? 

Ans. In the service which it renders to the 
earth by binding the soil together, and keeping the 
sands in their places ; in the food which it furnishes 
to nearly all of God's creatures ; in the beauty 
with which it everywhere greets the eye, and in 
the lessons which it teaches us. 

In what parts of the earth is it found? 

Ans. Wherever man can make a home for him- 
self, there the grass grows green at some seasons 
of the year. 

Are there any portions of the earth where it does 
not grow ? 

Ans. In sandy deserts, wherever they are found. 

What is their condition? 

Ans. They are barren and desolate, dried and 
scorched by wind and sun. 



70 MANY TEACIIERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What would be the condition of the rest of the 
earth without grass ? 

Ans. Almost as uncomfortable and uninhabita- 
ble as they are. 

In what does the beauty of grass consist f 

Ans. In the softness, and smoothness, and fresh- 
ness which it presents to the eye, and in the deli- 
cate beauty of its coloring. 

Why do we suppose that the Creator used green 
for the coloring of the grass, instead of yellow, or 
red, or any other color f 

Ans. Because no other color is so grateful to 
the eye. 

Is all grass alike ? 

Ans. No. There are many hundred varieties ; 
about three hundred in the United States alone. 

What do the grasses include f 

Ans. All the grains — wheat, rye, oats, barley, 
Indian corn, &c. 

What is the manner of their growth f 

Ans. From within outwards. 

How large a proportion of the whole vegetable 
world do grasses constitute f 

Ans. One eighth part. 

How are they used as food? 

Ans. Beasts crop their leaves in summer, and 
chew them dried in winter; man grinds the seeds 
of grains, and uses them in many ways; and the 
birds feed on the seeds of the grasses, generally so 
called. 

What can you say of the blossoms of the com- 
mon grasses f 



SECOND SUNDAY IN APRIL. 71 

Ans. They are very minute, yet have all of the 
requisite parts. 

Can these parts all he seen ? 

Ans. Only by aid of the microscope. 

Who alone sees every part? 

Ans. He who made them all. 

Does God fashion each little grass-blade sepa- 
rately, or do they all grow by some fixed law of 
His? 

Ans. According to a law. 

Is not that a wonderful provision? — 

What have the grasses been called? 

Ans. " Nature's care." 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because of the especial provision which 
seems to have been made to secure their preserva- 
tion and increase. 

In what does this consist ? 

Ans. In their hardiness, their almost unconquer- 
able disposition to spread, the various ways in 
which they are propagated, the renewal of their 
life after the winter's cold, and the preference of 
grass-eating animals for their leaves, leaving un- 
touched the stems which support the seed. 

What further has been said about this? 

Ans. They thrive under a treatment by which 
other plants are destroyed; the more their leaves 
are consumed, the more their roots increase ; the 
more they are trampled on, the thicker they grow. 

By what means besides the diffusion of seeds are 
they propagated ? 

Ans. Some, which grow on high mountains, 



72 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

where it is too cold to ripen the seed, throw out 
suckers, or shoots, which spread along the ground, 
and these take root ; and in some other kinds the 
seeds begin to grow while in the flower, and new 
plants are thus formed with leaves and roots, which 
fall to the ground and take root there. 

What are some of the lessons ichich we may 
learn from the grass f 

Ans. Cheerfulness and humility. 

How cheerfulness f 

Ans. In its enduring all kinds of violence and 
suffering, and still continuing fresh and bright, to 
rejoice all the earth. 

How humility f 

Ans. By accepting uncomplainingly the lowest 
place and the lowest service, and still blossoming 
and bearing fruit, and blessing the earth. 

How is it usually spoken of in the Scriptures f 

Ans. As an emblem of the shortness and uncer- 
tainty of man's life. 

Of what does it furnish us abundant proof? 

Ans. Of God's care and thoughtfulness for the 
comfort and enjoyment of His creatures in every 
particular. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN APRIL. 73 



THIRD SUNDAY IN APRIL. 



When Jesus called the attention of his hearers to 
the lilies of the feld, what did he tell them to con- 
sider ? 

Ans. " Consider the lilies of the field, how they 
grow." Matt. vi. 28. 

May loe not infer from this that there is some- 
thing worthy of our notice in the process of 
growth? — 

What does the icord " growth " mean f 

Ans. It implies increase and development. 

How is it described in the Scriptures ? 

Ans. " First the blade, then the ear, after that 
the full corn in the ear." Mark iv. 28. 

From what do all plaiits proceed? 

Ans. From a very small beginning, whether it 
be seed or cell, or bulb or shoot. 

Do all plants grow equally? — 

Do all grow with the same rapidity ? — 

What plants grow the most rapidly? 

Ans. Vines. 

Which grow to the greatest magnitude ? 

Ans. Trees. 

In what direction do plants grow ? 

Ans. Upwards, downwards, and around. 

Why must they grow downwards ? 

Ans. That they may be firm and well rooted. 



74 MANX TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

How high have the tallest trees upon the earth 
groicn? 

Ans. Nearly four hundred feet. 

What is the largest known diameter of a tree 
trunk ? 

Ans. Forty feet. 

How large an area has a single tree been known 
to cover? 

Ans. Over seventeen hundred square yards. 

In what time do plants attain their growth? — 

Do we ever see the process of growth ? — 

In ichat two wags do all plants grow? 

Ans. From without inwards, and from within 
outwards. 

Mention some which grow on the outside. 

Ans. Nearly all trees. 

In what way does the growth of a tree take place ? 

Ans. From the leaves downwards; each leaf, as 
it matures, sends materials for new wood down the 
stalk. 

What is the character of those which groic from 
within outwards ? 

Ans. They shoot up to a great height, and have 
a smooth skin instead of a bark. 

Mention instances of this kind of growth. 

Ans. The palms, among trees ; also rushes, In- 
dian corn, &c. 

Do plants accomplish growth by any effort of 
will ? — 

Is anything outside the plant essential to its 
groicth ? 

Ans. Yes, air and moisture ; light and warmth 
also favor it. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN APRIL. 75 

Who furnishes these requisites f 

Atis. God not only surrounds the plant with the 
conditions of growth, but He adapts it to those 
conditions. 

In what part of the earth is growth most luxu- 
riant ? 

Ans. In the torrid zone. 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because all the conditions of growth 
abound there. 

How is growth in thefroze?i regions ? 

Ans. It is slow and stunted. 

What effect does vegetable growth have upon the 
airf 

Ans. It purifies it. 

How? 

Ans. By giving out oxygen to supply the loss 
which the air constantly sustains. 

How does the air lose its oxygen? 

Ans. Animals, in breathing, consume it. 

Is this compensation accidental ? 

Ans. No. It is only another proof of God's 
wisdom. 

What is a characteristic of growth ? 

Ans. Symmetry. 

What is symmetry ? — 

What else can you say of growth ? 

Ans. That it is a mystery. 

What are some of the mysteries connected with it? 

Ans. That from the same soil, and the same air, 
and the same moisture, should come growths so 
unlike each other : two water lilies spring up side 



76 MAXY TEACIIERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

by side, surrounded, so far as we see, by the same 
influences; one is rank and noxious, the other pure, 
and fragrant, and lovely. So too, in the same 
plant, from the same materials, come stem and leaf, 
and blossom and fruit. 

Of what is growth the result ? 

Ans. Of a combination of forces; mechanical, 
chemical, and vital. 

Is growth confined to vegetable life ? 

Ans. No. There is animal growth also. 

Is there any limit to growth, and upon what does 
it depend? — 

Why was a limit necessary in the vegetable 
world f 

Ans. Because otherwise the earth would have 
been covered long ago with a tangled mass of vege- 
table life. 

Why were limits necessary to animal growth? — 

In which of the Creator's works are we not 
aware of any growth ? 

Ans. In the rocks, the mountains, and the heav- 
enly bodies. 

Does this natural growth correspoiid to anything 
in our spiritual nature ? — 

To what does it correspond? 

Ans. To the capacity for growth which the Cre- 
ator has implanted in our minds and souls. 

Is the growth of the mind one thing, and of the 
soul another, or are they the same ? — 

Has God surrounded us with the conditions for 
their growth ? — 

What are these ? — 



THIRD SUNDAY IN APRIL. 77 

Is their growth from without or from within ? — 

Is it dependent upon the will of the individ- 
ual?— 

Are there any limits to it ? — 

Have we any duties connected with it, and if so, 
what are they ? — 

What growth does the apostle Peter enjoin upon 
those to ichom he wrote f 

Ans. "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of 
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter iii. 18. 

How shall ive grow in the knoioledge of Christ f — 

What advantage will there be in it f — 



78 MANY TEACHEJiS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN APRIL. 

HEN AND CHICKENS. 

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets, and 
stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have 
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, and ye would not ! " Matt, xxiii. 37. 

By whom were these words spoken, and on ichat 
occasion ? — 

Where is Jerusalem, and why did Jesus make use 
of this expression? — 

For what purpose does a hen gather her chickens 
under her wings ? — 

What prompts her to do it ? — 

Of what does the lone of a hen for her chickens 
remind us ? 

Ans. Of the love of a mother for her children. 

Do all animals love their young ? — 

By whom is this love implanted ? — 

Why has God given to animals this love for 
their offspring? — 

Can you think of more than one reason ? — 

Do not these show the wisdom and the love of 
Gods appointments? — 

What did Jesus mean to imply when he said, 
" How often would I have gathered thy children 
together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
wings " ? 

Ans. His tender love for the city of Jerusalem. 



FO TJR TH S UN DA Y IN A PEIL. 79 

What may we learn from this of the heart of 
Jesus f — 

What did his love lead him to do f 

Ans. To lay down his life with bitter suffering. 

If Christ so loved us, what ought we to do f — 

What will the love of Christ do for our 
hearts f — 

Would the little chicken be safe if there were no 
mother hen to go to f — 

Would it be happy f — 

Do children need a paretics care as much as little 
chickens do f — 

Do they trust to their mother's love? — 

Are they the happier for that trust ? — 

When children grow up and become men and 
women, do they still need some one to go to? — 

To whom can we all go f — 

To whom did Jesus always go in his seasons of 
trouble ? — 

What did God give him, and what will He give 
to all icho put their trust in Him? — 

Is God as loving to His children as a mother to 
her child f 

Ans. Jesus says, " If ye then, being evil, know 
how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
much more shall your Father which is in heaven 
give good things to them that ask Him." Matt. 
vii. 11. 

Do the chickens teach us any lesson f 

Ans. Yes. Lessons of trust and obedience. 

How do they do that f — 



80 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What does the apostle Paul say about the duty 
of children to their parents? 

Ans. " Children, obey your parents in the Lord, 
for this is right." Eph. vi. 1. 

What did he write to the Colossian children ? 

Ans. " Children, obey your parents in all things ; 
for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." Col. iii. 20. 

How long should children obey their parents f — 

Sow long should they show them affection and 
respect ? — 

What example is given, which is before every 
other, of obedience to parents ? 

Ans. St. Luke says, that after being at Jerusa- 
lem at the feast of the passover, Jesus came to 
Nazareth with his parents, "and was subject unto 
them." 

Of what -was Jesus' whole life a beautiful exam- 
pie? 

Ans. Of obedience to the will of his Father in 
heaven. 

What does he say about it ? 

Ans. " My meat is to do the will of Him that 
sent me." John iv. 34. 

In the hour of his greatest trial, what did he say ? 

Ans. " Not what I will, but what Thou wilt." 
Mark xiv. 36. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN APRIL. 81 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN APRIL. 

See Appendix. 



82 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON, 



FIRST SUNDAY IN MAY. 



What did Jesus say about the birds, in the Ser~ 
mon on the Mount f 

Ans. "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow 
not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. 
Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." Matt. 
vi. 26. 

To what particidar fact about the birds does he 
call our attention f 

Ans. To the fact that our heavenly Father feed- 
eth them. 

What will we consider first about birds f 

Ans. The way in which our Father feedeth 
them. 

Does God set the food directly in the way of the 
birds f 

Ans. He does not. He prepares the food, and 
teaches them how to find it. 

Do all birds choose the same kinds of food? — 

Is there not wisdom in this arrangement f — 

Where do birds find their food? 

Ans. In the air, on the earth, and in the sea. 

What food do they find in the air f 

Ans. Swarms of insects, great and small, both 
by night and day. 

What do they find on the earth ? 



FIRST SUNDAY IN MAT. 83 

Ans. Fruits, and nuts, and seeds. 

What else ? 

Ans. The bodies of dead animals; and the 
larger birds even carry off small living creatures. 

What are these birds called? 

Ans. Birds of prey : such are eagles, vultures, 
buzzards, ravens, &c. 

What good do they do in that way ? — 

What food do birds find in the earth ? 

Ans. Worms and bugs, and the larvae of various 
insects. 

What food do birds find in the water ? 

Ans. Fishes and insects. 

Mention some of the birds which seek their food 
in the water. 

Ans. Gulls, snipes, albatrosses, herons, &c. 

Where else do birds find food? 

Ans. In the cups of flowers. 

What do they find there? 

Ans. The sweet juices of the flowers. 

Mention one bird which finds food in the flowers. 

Ans. The humming-bird ; but it feeds on insects 
also. 

What has God given to the humming-bird icith 
which to gather honey? 

Ans. A long, tapering bill, and a very long 
tongue, which has a little spoon at the end of it. 

Of what favorable circumstances do birds some- 
times avail themselves to get their food? 

Ans. Starlings and magpies, and some other 
birds, sit on the backs of sheep and deer to pick 
the vermin from them ; other birds, as the wagtail, 



84 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

play about the noses and legs of cattle as they 
feed, to get the flies and insects which abound near 
them; some kinds keep with herds of buffaloes for 
the same purpose. Many little birds follow the 
plough to pick up the grubs and worms which it 
turns up, or come regularly to our doors for the 
crumbs we scatter. 

Would all this variety of food do them any good 
if God did not teach them which to choose f — 

Does He give them different implements with 
which to get their different kinds of food? — 

What has He given to the vulture, the hawk, and 
the eagle? 

Ans. Sharp claws with which to snatch their 
food, and a very strong beak with which to tear it 
in pieces. 

What has He given to the woodpecker with which 
to get the worms from under the bark of trees? 

Ans. Sharp claws with which to run up the trees, 
a stiff tail to lean against, a long bill, and a forked 
tongue. 

What has He given to birds ichich find their 
food in the water ? 

Ans. To some, long legs for wading, and long 
necks ; to others, webbed feet for swimming. 

With what has God provided the birds that live 
on seeds or grain ? 

Ans. With a little grist-mill to grind the grain. 

By what name is it called? 

Ans. The gizzard ; and it is provided with stones 
for grinding, and a hopper to feed the mill, called 
the crop. 



FIliST SUNDAY IN MAY. 85 

Do birds of prey have this mill f 

Ans. They do not. 

What have they instead of it ? 

Ans. A powerful fluid in the stomach which dis- 
solves their food. 

What peculiarity has the cross-bill f 

Ans. The beak is crossed in such a way as to 
enable it to get out the pine seeds from the cones 
in which they are hidden. This is their principal 
food. 

With all the food provided for birds, and all 
their various implements for getting it, what would 
become of them if they coidd only walk about as 
we do? 

Ans. A great proportion of them would starve ; 
and as they would be constantly under foot, they 
would be trodden to death. 

How has their heavenly Father guarded against 
this f 

Ans. By giving them strong wings with which 
to fly. 

Sow else has Me aided them to fly f 

Ans. By the structure of their bones, which are 
hollow and full of air ; by the lightness of their 
feathers, and by furnishing them with a rudder (the 
tail), to guide their flight. 

Sow can they discern their food when they are 
so high above it f 

Ans. Their eyes are made like little spy-glasses, 
so that they can see minute things a great way off. 

What have birds to feed beside themselves f 

Ans. Their young birds. 



86 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON* 

How often do they feed them f 

Ans. Some kinds oftener than others; many- 
kinds, every few minutes, all the day. 

Do birds find their winter store in the same place 
as their summer food? 

Ans. Nearly all birds spend the winters in 
warmer climates, where food is more abundant. 

How far do birds sometimes go for their winter 
quarters f 

Ans. Thousands of miles, over oceans and con- 
tinents. 

Do they return to the same spot again the next 
season f 

Ans. Many kinds do, year after year, for many 
years. 

Do they usually go alone, or in companies f 

Ans. Most kinds go in companies ; pigeons fly 
in flocks of millions. 

Where was it formerly supposed that birds spent 
the cold season f 

Ans. Some writers maintained that they win- 
tered with the fish, deep down in the water ; others, 
that they flew to some undiscovered satellite of the 
earth. 

What is necessary in order to supply such an 
abundance and variety of food to an innumerable 
number of creatures of all sizes f 

Ans. Wisdom, and forethought, and love, and 
unlimited power. 

Where atom do we find these united? 

Ans. In God. 



FIRST SUNDAY IX MAY. 87 

What is said about the birds in the Booh of 
Psalms? 
Ans. 

" He giveth to the cattle their food, 
And to the young ravens, when they cry." 

Ps. cxlvii. 9. 



8 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

SECOND SUNDAY IN MAY. 

birds — (continued.) 
What did Jesus say at another time about the 



Ans. " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? 
and one of them shall not fall to the ground with- 
out your Father." Matt. x. 29. 

What do we learn from this f 

Ans. That God cares for birds in other ways 
besides to feed them. 

What further do we learn from these two pas- 
sages f 

Ans. That Jesus noticed and cared for the little 
birds. 

If our Father cares for every little bird, and 
watches over it, and if Jesus noticed and loved 
them, what should we do f 

Ans. We should love to learn about them, and 
should make them our care also. 

Are we indebted to the birds for anything? 

Ans. Yes. For the pleasure of seeing and 
watching them, for the sweet songs they sing to 
us, and for their cheerful companionship. 

What further service do they render to man? 

Ans. Both the bodies of birds and their eggs 
supply him with nutritious food. Some birds de- 
stroy worms and bugs, and flies and insects, of vari- 
ous kinds. Many others almost live on seeds of 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MAT. 89 

weeds, which they use more freely than those of 
cultivated plants ; and their feathers are useful to 
him in many ways. 

Mention some of these uses. 

Ans. For quills, beds, pillows, cushions, clothes, 
ornaments, and fishing. 

Is the use of quills extensive ? 

Ans. In one year 26,500,000 foreign quills were 
imported into England, besides the home produc- 
tion. 

What can you say of their use for clothing f 

Ans. In the polar regions, the skins of large 
birds, with the feathers worn inside, are much used ; 
and formerly in China, and other Eastern countries, 
garments of feathers were worn by royalty, and by 
persons of wealth and rank. 

What other service have they rendered man f 

Ans. The carrier pigeons have been trained as 
messengers from very early times. In the East a 
post system, in which these birds were the carriers, 
was kept up for nearly a hundred years, about the 
twelfth century. The birds carried the letters fas- 
tened under the wing. They are still somewhat 
used, not only in Asia, but in some parts of Europe. 

Do birds often injure man f 

Ans. Occasionally they steal his fruit, or even 
the corn which he has planted ; but they do him 
infinitely more good than harm. 

In what do they excel God?s other creatures f 

Ans. In the beauty of their covering, the mel- 
ody of their voices, and the grace and rapidity of 
their movements. 



90 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What can you say of their plumage? 

Ans. That among birds are found, not only 
every known color, but every possible combination 
of colors. 

Where are the most beautiful birds found? 

Ans. In hot climates. 

What is usually the color of birds in the polar 
regions ? 

Ans. They are usually black, or of a sombre 
color. 

How many kinds of birds are there ? 

Ans. More than seven thousand. 

How many different kinds are mentioned in the 
Scriptures ? 

Ans. About thirty. 

Are these known now ? 

Ans. Nearly every one. 

How many varieties of any single kind of birds 
are known? 

Ans. Of the humming-bird, four hundred varie- 
ties have been noticed. 

What can you say of the rapidity of their move- 
ments ? 

Ans. It varies very much. Some kinds fly very 
slowly. The pigeon has been known to fly twen- 
ty-seven hundred miles in a day, and the swift 
nearly six thousand, or two hundred and fifty miles 
in an hour. 

What other curious thing can you tell about it ? 

Ans. It eats and drinks on the wing. 

How long can a bird fly without stopping ? 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MAY. 91 

Arts. They have been known to keep on the 
wing sixteen hours. 

Can all birds fly ? 

Ans. There are some kinds whose wings are so 
short that they can scarcely fly at all. 

What is noticeable about birds in this respect ? 

Ans. That when they are deficient in one par- 
ticular, there is always some compensation ; bad 
flyers are good walkers or divers; owls, which can 
see but little, have quick hearing ; birds with plain- 
est costume are usually the sweetest songsters ; 
also, short legs are usually accompanied by long 
wings ; and to every bird is given all that is needed 
for its comfort and well-being. 

Which senses are particularly keen in birds ? 

Ans. Sight, hearing, and touch. 

Which are feeble ? 

Ans. Smell and taste. 

Is there not wisdom in this ? — 

To what has a bird been likened? 

Ans. To " a model ship, constructed by the hand 
of God." The breast-bone resembles the keel ; the 
wings, the sails ; the tail, the rudder. " Like the 
ship, they combine swiftness, lightness, and man- 
ageability." 

What marked contrast is there ? 

Ans. The ship ^ails best with the wind ; but a 
bird must fly against the wind to fly with ease, or 
to continue long upon the wing. 

To what else have they been likened? 

Ans. To "a high-pressure engine, which con* 



92 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

sumes as much fuel as three or four common ma- 
chines." 

What is meant by that ? — 

What has been said about the life of birds ? 

Aiis. That they live longer in a given time than 
any other creature; for they see more, act and 
travel more, — many of them crossing oceans and 
continents every year of their lives. 

What further has been said of them ? 

Ans. "The trees are their temples and their 
dwellings, the winds sing their lullaby, and they 
need no sheltering, for the rain does not wet them." 

How old do they live to be ? 

Ans. Some kinds only two or three years, while 
others live a hundred years. 

Where are their homes ? 

Ans. Among rocks and in dens, in trees and 
shrubs, and in earth and water. 

What curious habit have many birds which is 
an example to us ? 

Ans. They bathe every day; but when they 
cannot get water, they take dust baths. 

How did Jesus conclude his saying about the 
sparrows? 

Ans. "Fear not, therefore; ye are of more 
value than many sparrows." Matt. x. 31. 

Why are we of more value than many sparrows? 

Ans. Because of the spirit within, whose dwell- 
ing we are. 

Does God care for these bodies of ours ? 

Ans. He numbers the very hairs of our head. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN MAT. 93 

What is the lesson we are to learn from God's 
care of the birds ? 

Ans. The lesson that He is Love; and that we 
may trust ourselves to His keeping. 

If God so cares for our frail bodies, does He 
not much more care for our spirits, made in His 
Wceness f 



94 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

THIRD SUNDAY IN MAY. 

BIEDS' NESTS. 

What is the subject of the lesson for to-day ', and 
why is it suited to the seaso?i of the year ? — 

What is said about birds' nests in Ps. lxxxiv. 3 ? 

Ans. 
" The very sparrow findeth an abode, 
And the swallow a nest, where they may lay their young." 

Uoio long ago was that ? 

Ans. Not far from three thousand years. 

Do birds build nests to live in ? — 

Would a bird ever make a nest if it was not 
going to be a mother -bird ? — 

Does a man build a house to live in all alone ? — 

For what purpose does a man build a house ? 

Ans. To make a home for those he loves. 

Does the bird wait till it has a family before it 
builds its nest ? — 

How does the bird know that it will need the 
nest? — 

Mention some of the things which God teaches 
birds and animals. — 

Does He not seem to teach them more than He 
teaches us? — 

Why is that?— 

What else does God do for the bird? 

Ans. He gives it a building spot, and materials 
for building, and instructs it how to do the work. 



THIRD SUNDA Y IN MA Y. 95 

What do we notice particularly about birds' 



Ans. The fitness of their location to the habits 
of the birds, the judicious choice of building ma- 
terials, the beauty and firmness of their structure, 
the variety of their forms, and the many contri- 
vances for safety. 

Do different kinds of birds choose the same sort 
of places to build in f — 

Mention some of the different places where nests 
are built. — 

Does each hind of bird choose the spot best for 

9 



Would an eagle ever build in a place suited for 
a sparrow's nest, or a swallow where an eagle would 



What hind of places do birds of prey choose ? 

Ans. High rocks or trees, where they have a 
better view of their prey, and where they are more 
secure from the enemies they make. 

Where do ducks, and geese, and loons, and other 
water birds build f 

Ans. In the reeds and high grass which grow 
near the water. 

What birds bore holes in banhs of earth or sand 
to build in f 

Ans. Kingfishers, and bee-eaters, and sand-mar- 
tins, and stormy petrels, and many Others. 

What is the most common location for a bird's 
nest? 

Ans. In some part of a tree. Here, too, we see 
a wide difference; some birds choosing the top- 



96 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

most branches, as rooks, crows, &c. ; others, the 
ends of limbs, where their cradles will be rocked 
by every breeze ; others, the forks of trees, where 
they will be hidden by the branches ; and others, 
the grass about the trunk and roots ; while others, 
still, make or find holes in dead trunks or branches, 
in which, when they have fitted and furnished 
them, they rear their little families. 

Where does the cross-bill always build its nest? 

Ans. On pine tree branches. 

How do they fasten their nests to the tree 9 

Ans. By using the gum of the tree. 

What other use do they make of the gum f 

Ans. To plaster the nest over, so as to keep out 
rain and melted snow. 

Do all birds build nests ? 

Ans. No, many kinds do not. The night-hawk 
and the goat-sucker lay their eggs on the bare 
ground, and the ostrich buries hers in the hot sand. 

What do the cuckoo and the sparrow-hawk , the 
starling and the kestrel, often do ? 

Ans. They steal the nests of other birds, or take 
those which have been deserted. 

What can you say of the size of birds'* nests ? 

Ans. Like the location, it is suited to the wants 
of the bird, and depends upon the number and size 
of the little birds for whom it is built. The nest 
of the smallest humming-bird is smaller than a 
hen's egg, while the eagle's nest is four or five feet 
across ; and there are all possible gradations be- 
tween them. 

What van you say of their form f 



THIRD SUXDAY IN MAT. 97 

Ans. It varies as much as their size ; several 
kinds, like those of the yellow-bird, are in the form 
of a cup ; others, like the oriole's, are shaped like 
a purse ; the oven-bird builds a nest of clay, which 
looks like an oven ; that of the titmouse is shaped 
like an egg', some are flask-shaped ; some look like 
a hammock, and are swung in the same way ; some 
are almost flat, and some are long and funnel- 
shaped, terminating in a point at the lower end. 

Do birds of the same kind all build their nests 
alike ? 

Ans. They do. 

What materials does the bird use f 

Ans. The larger kinds use dried sticks and 
twigs; some make use of leaves, and reeds, and 
dried grass, and clay, and mud ; while the smaller 
kinds choose mosses, and lichens, and cotton, and 
wool, and feathers, and spiders' webs, and bits of 
thread, and the down of thistles, or of winged seeds, 
or any soft substance which they can find. 

What have birds sometimes been known to do f 

Ans. To carry off laces and muslins which have 
been spread out to bleach, and to weave them into 
their nests. 

Are the outside and inside of a nest made of the 
same materials f 

Ans. No. The outside is usually rough, while 
the inside is very soft, and is made of materials 
which are non-conductors of heat, and so keep the 
eggs and young birds warm, such as wool, cotton, 
down, felt, hair, and feathers. 

What are some of their contrivances for safety f 



98 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. One bird covers its nest with thorns ; the 
humming-bird, the wren, and many others, cover 
theirs with lichens, or the material which most 
closely resembles that upon which it is built ; while 
some birds suspend their nests over the water, 
many of which have their entrances on the under 
side ; and others, still, build long passages leading 
to their nests. 

Are there many birds which suspend their nests 
over water f 

Ans. Yes. In hot climates they are very nu- 
merous. 

What enemies have birds against which they are 
obliged to be so watchful? 

A?is. Snakes, monkeys, larger birds, and some- 
times human beings. 

Does the time ever come when there is no harm 
in carrying off a bird/s nest ? 

Ans. Yes. When the little birds have flown, 
and the birds have no further use for it. 

/Should not all boys remember this f 



FO UR TH S VNDA T IN MAT, 99 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN MAY. 

birds' nests — (continued.) 

Do birds always build their nests singly? 

Ans. They do not. Rooks always build in com- 
panies, and as near together as possible. Swallows 
build side by side ; so do martins ; and the sociable 
weaver-birds of South Africa build under one roof. 

How do they construct their nests f 

Ans. They hang a quantity of tough grass over 
a strong limb of a tree, and by means of weaving 
and plaiting, they form a roof under which are 
placed a number of nests ; new nests are added 
with each successive brood, and when there can be 
no more under the roof, they enlarge it and con- 
tinue to build. 

How long do they do this ? 

Ans. Until the branch is unable to endure the 
weight, and falls to the ground : this does not often 
occur while the nests are occupied, but takes place 
during the rainy season, when they become heavy 
with the water which the dried grass has absorbed. 

How large are these nests f 

Ans. They are so large as to be often mistaken 
for the huts of human beings ; and more than three 
hundred separate nests have been counted in a 
single colony. 

What other birds build in companies f 



100 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESS OX. 

Ans. Ducks, and sea-gulls, and many others: 
the northern coasts in many places abound in bird 
life, and the cliffs and rocks are covered with their 
nests, so that one can scarcely walk without step- 
ping upon them. 

Mention some particularly curious birds'* nests. 

Ans. In the Island of Ceylon the tailor-bird 
makes a very curious nest with leaves. 

Sow does it do it f 

Ans. It chooses a leaf upon the tree, and pierces 
holes with its beak all around the edge of it ; then 
it sews the leaf into a little purse-shaped nest, by 
means of these holes ; or if the leaf is too small, 
it sews a dead leaf to a living one. 

Where does it get its thread? 

Ans. It generally takes a long fibre of some 
plant, or it makes it from cotton, which it picks 
from the shrubs, and spins with its bill and feet. 

What needle does it use f 

Ans. Its bill is its needle, and answers good pur- 
pose. 

What other sewing-bird is there f 

Ans. The fan-tailed warbler, which has this pe- 
culiarity, that it uses short threads, and ties a knot 
in the end of each to prevent it from being pulled 
out. 

What other singular birds' nests can you men- 
tion f 

Ans. The nest of the edible swallow, which is 
much used in China for food. 

How is it used ? 

Ans. In making soups. 



FO UR TH S UNDA Y IN MA Y. 101 

Where are these nests found ? 

Ans. In Borneo, Java, and the neighboring 
islands, and are built on the sides of steep preci- 
pices, so that it is exceedingly dangerous getting 
them. 

What is the material used in their construction f 

Ans. It is unknown ; some suppose it to be fish 
spawn ; others think it is a kind of sea- weed ; while 
others believe it to be a substance secreted by the 
glands of the bird's throat. 

Can you describe these nests f 

Ans. They are built in groups, are about as 
large as a goose's egg, and shaped somewhat like 
a clam-shell; are white, or pinkish, in color, and 
nearly transparent, being about as thick as a silver 
spoon. 

Are they extensively used ? 

Ans. They are only used in China; but over a 
million of dollars' worth is brought to Canton 
every year. 

How long does it take for a pair of these birds 
to build a nest f 

Ans. They have been known to build them in a 
few days. 

When do birds begin to build their nests f 

Ans. Just in time to have them finished when 
they need them. 

Do you suppose it is as much work for a bird 
to build a nest as for a man to build a house f — 

Do you think the bird takes as much care to 
build its nest nicely, and keep it neat, as we do with 
our houses f — 



102 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

How do birds siceep their nests ? 

Ans. With their wings. 

Do they ever use their nests more than one sea- 
son? 

Ans. Yes. Sometimes they use them again just 
as they are ; sometimes, when they have been in- 
jured by storms, they repair them ; and sometimes 
they build new ones. 

Could a man build a bird's nest as well as a bird 
can? — 

Could a man teach a bird anything about build- 
ing nests ? — 

Who teaches the bird? 

Ans. The Great Teacher. 

Can the study of the birds' nests teach us any- 
thing? 

Ans. It teaches us forethought; as the little 
bird builds its nest before it is needed, so we should 
do our work in season, preparing in sunshine for 
storms, in health for sickness, in life for death. 

What else does it teach us ? 

Ans. Thoroughness and nicety in all our work ; 
and as the bird builds its nest, not for its own com- 
fort, but for the comfort of its little ones, so it 
teaches us to work unselfishly for others. 

Does it teach us anything about God ? 

Ans. Yes. Nothing tells us more plainly of His 
wise care, and His loving forethought for the com- 
fort and happiness of every one of His creatures. 

What is the lesson, then, to our souls ? 

Ans. A lesson of trust and faith. 



FIFTH SUNDA T IN MA Y. 103 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN MAY. 

See Appendix. 



104 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN JUNE. 

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. 

" His lightning's illumine the world : 
The earth beholdeth and trembleth." Ps. xcvii. 4. 

Why did the earth tremble at God's lightnings f 

Ans. Because the nature and purpose of the 
lightning were not understood, and no means of 
protection from it were known. 

Is it understood now f 

Ans. To some extent ; but we do not know how 
much more may be discovered. 

What are ice sure of respectiyig it ? 

Ans. That it is a beneficent agent, sent to bless 
the world. 

What causes the lightning f 

Ans. The passage of electricity through the air. 

What is electricity ? 

Ans. A power which exists in all substances. 

Is it a visible power f 

Ans. Not in its natural state; there must al- 
ways be some disturbing cause to jn'O-duce its man- 
ifestation. 

WJiat are some of these causes? 

Ans. Friction, the decomposition of animal and 
vegetable matter, heat, and its effects (evaporation 
and condensation), and magnetism. 

To what is atmospheric electricity owing t 



FIB ST SUNDAY IN JUNE. 105 

Ans. To some or all of these causes. 

In hoio many states does electricity exist f 

Ans. In two, which are called positive and neg- 
ative, by some ; by others, vitreous and resinous. 

What is the positive state f 

Ans. When electricity exists, or is excited in 
any body, in an amount more than is natural to 
that body. 

What is negative electricity f 

Ans. When there is less electricity in any body 
than is natural to it. 

What is the first law of electricity ? 

Ans. To find an equilibrium between its positive 
and negative states. 

What results from this law f 

Ans. All the phenomena of electricity. 

How does electricity find this desired equilib- 
rium f 

Ans. By passing from those bodies where it ex- 
ists positively to those which are in a negative 
state. 

How does it pass from one body to another when 
there is no intervening substance, or only one which 
favors its passage f 

Ans. Invisibly, silently, and harmlessly. 

What are such bodies as favor the passage of 
electricity called f 

Ans. Conductors. 

What are those called which do not favor its 



Ans. Non-conductors. 



106 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What is the result when electricity, in seeking an 
equilibrium, meets with a non-conductor f 

Ans. Heat and light are developed. 

When are we accustomed to see this result ? 

Ans. In the lightning's flash. 

Sow is it produced ? 

Ans. Two clouds, or two strata of air, charged 
with opposite electricities, approach each other; 
the air between them is a non-conductor, and the 
flash is caused by the effort of the electricity to 
force its passage through the air. 

How is the lightning a blessing to mankind? 

Ans. When the atmosphere is full of impure 
vapors, it causes discomfort and sickness ; and the 
lightning is sent to* purify it, and make it fit to 
breathe. 

How does it do this f 

Ans. By restoring the equilibrium of electricity, 
which is necessary to a healthy state of the atmos- 
phere. 

What newly discovered element owes its forma- 
tion, in a great measure, to the thunder storms? 

Ans. Ozone. 

What is the nature of ozone ? 

Ans. It is a powerful disinfectant; that is, it 
neutralizes and counteracts unhealthy exhalations, 
or whatever would cause infectious diseases. 

What results from the absence of ozone ? 

Ans. Prevailing sickness. 

In what other way has electricity been found 
useful to man ? 



FIRST SUXDAT IX JUXE. 107 

Ans. It is the agent by which the telegraph 
operates, and is sent on messages from one quarter 
of the earth to another, over continents and under 
oceans. 

What may be said of all of Gotfs agents f 
Ans. That they work together for good to those 
who obey his laws. 



108 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN JUNE. 

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING (continued.) 

" The voice of Jehovah is powerful ; 
The voice of Jehovah is full of majesty; 
The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; 
Yea, Jehovah breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. 
The voice of Jehovah divideth the flames of fire; 
The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness tremble." 

Ps. xxix. 4, 5. 7, 8. 

What is the subject of this twenty-ninth Psalm f 
Ans. The glory of God as manifested in a thun- 
der storm. 

What is said on the same subject in Job xxxvii. 
2-5? 
Ans. 

''Hear, hear, the thunder of His voice ! 
And the noise which goeth forth from His mouth ! 
He directeth it under the whole heaven, 
And His lightnings to the ends of the earth. 
After it the thunder roareth ; 
He thundereth Avith His voice of majesty, 
And restraineth it not when His voice is heard. 
God thundereth with His voice marvellously ; 
Great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend." 

Sow do the sacred poets uniformly speak of the 
thunder f 

Ans. As the voice of God. 

Are we to understand them literally f 

Ans. Certainly not. God's voice is heard just 
as surely in the most silent operations of nature, 



SECOND SUNDAY IN JUNE. 109 

as in the tornado, or the earthquake, or the thun- 
der storm. 

Why, then, do they use this form of speech f 

Ans. Because figurative language was almost 
universal in the East, and the sacred writings eve- 
rywhere abound with it. 

Will the thunder be any the less the voice of God 
to our hearts, if we comprehend its nature and its 
cause ? — 

Why will it not ? 

Ans. Because it is by the operation of His laws 
that it is produced, and the better we understand 
those laws, the nearer to Him we can come. 

If God is speaking to us by all these operations 
of nature, what is our duty f 

Ans. To be reverent learners, trying to discover 
the lesson which He would teach. 

What is thunder f 

Ans. It is the sound made by the air as it comes 
together, after being parted by the electricity. 

How is this made f 

Ans. When these bodies of air strike each other, 
it causes them to vibrate ; the vibrations strike the 
drum of the ear, and we hear the thunder. 

Do ice see the lightning and hear the thunder at 
the same instant f 

Ans. Sometimes, but not usually. 

When do they seem to come together? 

Ans. When the discharge of electricity is very 
near the person who hears. 

Why do they not always occur together f 

Ans. Because light travels nearly a million times 



110 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

as fast as sound ; if the cloud is a long way off, the 
thunder will not reach the earth till some time 
after the lightning. 

How fast does sound travel ? 

Ans. A quarter of a mile a second. 

How may we calcidate by this the distance of a 
discharge of electricity ? 

Ans. A person's pulse beats about once in a sec- 
ond; for one beat of the pulse we must calculate 
a distance of a quarter of a mile ; for four beats, a 
mile. 

Is electricity a powerfid agent ? 

Ans. It is more so than any other which is 
kiiown. 

How great a power has it been known to exert? 

Ans. A power equal to the raising of 384,000,000 
of pounds one foot in a minute. 

What has lightning been known to do? 

Ans. It once tore a stone church in pieces, tak- 
ing the massive stones of which it was constructed 
and hurling them to a distance, as if they were sim- 
ply bricks. 

Is it not possible that man may some time be able 
to avail himself of this vast power of electricity, 
to do his bidding in moving and raising stupen- 
dous weights, even as he has learned to send it on 
his errands ? — 

What is the advantage of understanding the na- 
ture of the lightning, and the mode of its opera- 
tions ? 

Ans. In this way man is enabled to avoid dan- 



SECOND SUNDAY IN JUNE. Ill 

gerous localities, and to avail himself of means of 
protection. 

What is the most common of these f 

Arts. Lightning rods attached to buildings. 

What is their purpose f 

Ans. To carry off the electricity into the ground. 

Who invented these f 

Ans. Benjamin Franklin. 

What are the safest situations in a thunder 
storm f 

Ans. If in a building, as near the centre of the 
room as may be ; if in the open air, away from 
trees or elevated structures ; and if the garments 
are wet by the rain, so much the better, for they 
will prove good conductors, and carry off a large 
amount of electricity without the person being con- 
scious of it. 

What, more than anything else, gives the feeling 
of safety and peace in all times of danger f 

Ans. An abiding consciousness that the Father 
surrounds us with His love, and that nothing shall 
befall us which is not for our real good. 

What may we add in conclusion f 

Ans. 

" Lo ! these are but the borders of His work; 
How faint the whisper we have heard of Him ! 
But the thunder of His power who can understand ? " 

Job xxvi. 14. 



112 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN JUNE. 

TREES. 

" And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb, bearing seed, 
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is 
the fruit of the tree yielding seed : to you it shall be for meat." Gen. 
i. 29. 

What is noticeable in this passage f 

Ans. That it is the first mention which we have 
of trees, and that it establishes man's right over 
them ; also, that it states one of their uses. 

Where, in the Bible, are trees mentioned? 

Ans. In almost every book. 

How many kinds are spoken off 

Ans. As many as twenty-live. 

What are some of these f 

Ans. The almond, apple, ash, balsam, bay, box, 
cedar, cypress, chestnut, elm, fig, fir, oak, olive, 
palm, pine, poplar, sycamore, and willow. 

How are they mentioned? 

Ans. As among God's good gifts to His children. 

When Solomon wished to build a temple to the 
Lord, for what did he send to the king of Tyre f 

Ans. " Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and 
algum trees out of Lebanon; and behold, my ser- 
vants shall be with thy servants, even to prepare 
me timber in abundance; for the house which I 
am about to build shall be wonderful great." 
2 Chron. ii. 8, 9. 

What use did Solomon make of the trees ? 



THIRD SUNDAY IN JUNE. 113 

Aiis. And the king made of the algum trees 
terraces to the house of the Lord, and to the king's 
palace, and harps and psalteries for singers. 2 Chron. 
ix. 11. 

What other uses of trees are mentioned in Isaiah 
xliv. 16? 

Ans. " He burneth part thereof in the fire, with 
part thereof he eateth (or cooketh) flesh ; he 
roasteth meat, and is satisfied; yea, he warmeth 
himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen 
the fire ! " 

Of what uses of trees does another prophet speak f 

Ans. "And the fruit thereof shall be for meat 
(food), and the leaf thereof for medicine." Ezek. 
xlvii. 12. 

What does the prophet Daniel say of their uses ? 

Ans. " The leaves thereof were fair, and the 
fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all; the 
beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the 
fowls of the air dwelt in the boughs thereof, and 
all flesh were fed of it." Dan. iv. 12. 

Can you mention any other uses of trees f 

Ans. The trunks and branches are used in build- 
ing houses and ships, in making furniture for our 
dwellings, and implements of industry, and instru- 
ments of music. They also produce gums, and 
dyes, and spices, and corks, and rubber, and sugar, 
and perfumes, and fuel (both wood and coal). 
They give us shelter and shade, they temper the 
heat of summer and the cold of winter, and they 
break the fury of the winds as they sweep over the 
earth. 



114 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What is the most useful tree knoxcn ? 

Ans. The palm tree, of which three hundred 
and sixty different uses have been made. 

What is its fruit ? 

Ans. The date, on which many of the people in 
Asia and Africa live almost entirely. 

Of what teas a palm branch considered a symbol? 

Ans. Of victory. 

Where was it carried? 

Ans. Before conquerors, in triumphs. 

What mention of it in this connection do we find 
in the life of our Savior ? 

Ans. "Much people who had come to the feast, 
when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusa- 
lem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to 
meet him, and cried, Hosanna, Blessed is the King 
of Israel, that cometh in the name of the Lord." 
John xii. 12, 13. 

How is this event still commemorated ? 

Ans. By the observance of Palm Sunday. 

What was called the City of Palms ? 

Ans. Jericho. 

What city in the East was named from its palm 
trees ? 

Ans. Palmyra. 

What would be the state of the earth if there 
were no trees upon it ? 

Ans. Barren and desolate. 

Besides the uses of the trees, hoio else are they a 
boon to us ? 

Ans. By the beauty with which they bless us, 



THIRD SUNDAY J2V" JUKE. 115 

by the lessons which they teach us, and by their 
influence upon our spirits. 

In what does the beauty of the trees consist? 

Ans. In their varied, yet symmetrical forms, in 
the free and graceful movements of the branches, 
and in the rich and delicate shades of coloring of 
the leaves, varying with the season of the year. 

Do trees wear their leaf garment all the year ? — 

Mention the colors of the leaves in the different 
seasons. — 

Do trees blossom? 

Ans. Yes. Of some the blossoms are very beau- 
tiful, and often fragrant; but in most of the for- 
est trees, the blossom is so simple in form, or so 
near the color of the branches or leaves, as scarce- 
ly to attract attention at all. 

What do trees deserve from us? 

Ans. Affection and admiration. 

What is due to Him whose work and gift they 
are? 

Ans. Honor, love, gratitude, and duty. 



116 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN JUNE. 

trees — (continued). 

" And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree 
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food." Gen. ii. 9. 

What question does this answer? 

Ans. How the trees have their being. 

From what do trees grow f 

Ans. From seeds. 

What are the different parts of trees f 

Ans. Roots and trunks, branches and leaves, 
blossoms and fruit. 

What is the work of the roots f 

Ans. To keep the tree firm in its place, and to 
feed it with juices which they have drawn up from 
the earth. 

What is the work of the trunk f 

Ans. It supports the top of the tree, and while 
its fibres give strength to the whole tree, its vessels 
contain air and sap, and its bark encloses all. 

What is the work of the branches f 

Ans. To bear leaf and bud, blossom and fruit. 

For what are the leaves made f 

Ans. They are the lungs of the tree, through 
which it breathes, and by means of which it grows 
also ; and they protect and nourish the new buds 
in the beginning of their being. 

How do the leaves help the tree to grow f 

Ans. Each little leaflet sends down a cord or 



FO UR TH S UN DA T IN JUNE. 117 

fibre of new wood, between the wood and the 
bark, thus making the tree larger and stronger. 

How does a tree grow higher and broader ? 

Ans. It grows at the end of every branch, send- 
ing out two or three branches to every one. 

Do all trees grow in the same way ? 

Ans. No. There are two ways in which they 
grow ; every tree grows in one or the other of these 
ways. 

What are these ways ? 

Ans. By the addition of new wood on the out- 
side, which is the way in which nearly all trees 
grow ; but the palms form new fibres within, push- 
ing out the old wood. 

How large do trees become? 

Ans. They vary very much in size ; the largest 
tree known being over three hundred feet in height, 
and more than forty feet in diameter. 

"What very large and curious tree can you men- 
tion? 

Ans. The banyan tree of India, whose branches 
throw out fibres which descend to the earth and 
take root, thus forming, from a single tree, a shelter 
for several thousand persons. 

What is the largest known tree in the world? 

Ans. An African tree, called the baobab, or 
monkey's bread. It does not grow high, but the 
trunk is from sixty to eighty-five feet round, and 
the weight of the lower branches bends them to 
the ground, so that they form a mass of verdure 
sometimes one hundred and fifty feet in diameter. 

Where are some of the tallest and largest trees 
in the world found? 



118 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. In California. Already twenty groves of 
giant trees have been discovered, which are con- 
sidered "the oldest and most stupendous vegetable 
products existing upon the earth." 

What is the bread-fruit tree ? 

Ans. A tree in the South Sea Islands, producing 
a berry (from four to seven inches in diameter), 
somewhat like new bread, which is the principal 
food of the inhabitants. 

Has the tree any other uses for them ? 

Ans. It supplies them with clothing, and many 
other necessaries of life, and they build of it their 
boats and houses. 

What does the cow tree of /South America pro- 
duce? 

Ans. Nice milk, which is obtained by tapping 
the trees. 

What do the people in some parts of North 
America obtain by tapping maple trees ? 

Ans. Sweet syrup, of which sugar is made. 

What does a tree in Africa yield f 

Ans. Its seeds yield butter, and it is called the 
butter tree. 

What does another tree give to the thirsty trav- 
eller ? 

Ans. A drink of clear water, which it catches 
from the rain and holds in its leaves. 

What, then, do t/ie various trees furnish to man? 

Ans. Almost everything of which he has need. 

What did David say in view of these things? 

Ans. "All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord." 
Ps. cxlv. 10. 



FO UBTH S UNDA T IN JUNE. 119 

To what age do trees live f 

Ans. The oldest known living tree is supposed 
to be about three thousand years old. 

What was taking place in the world when it be- 
gan to grow f 

Ans. That was about the time that Solomon 
reigned over Israel. 

Mention some other very old trees. 

Ans. There are several in England. A tree in 
Windsor Forest, called the hinges oak, was a favor- 
ite with William the Conqueror, and is supposed 
to be one thousand years old ; another is standing 
in Norfolk, England, which was known as the " old 
oak " in the Conqueror's time. 

How is the age of trees ascertained? 

Ans. In the case of trees standing, it is necessa- 
ry to depend almost entirely upon historical rec- 
ords ; but the age of any tree can be determined 
after the trunk is sawn asunder, because the wood 
is arranged in rings, each year's growth having 
added a ring. 

What icas the parable of King Jotham ? 

Ans. " The trees went forth on a time to anoint 
a king over them. And they said unto the olive 
tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said 
unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith 
by me they honor God and man, and go to be 
promoted over the trees ? And the trees said to 
the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. But 
the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my 
sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be pro- 
moted over the trees ? Then said the trees unto 



120 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

the vine, Come thou and reign over us. And the 
vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine which 
cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted 
over the trees ? Then said all the trees unto the 
bramble, Come thou and reign over us. And the 
bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint 
me king over you, then come and put your trust in 
my shadow ; and if not, let fire come out of the 
bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon." 
Judges ix. 8-15. 

What was the meaning of this parable. 

Ans. It was a rebuke to the people for their 
choice of a king. 

What is worthy of note about it f 

Ans. That it is the first parable recorded. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JUNE. 121 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JUNE. 

See Appendix. 



122 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN JULY. 

HONEY BEES. 

" How sweet are thy words to my taste ; 
Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth ! " PS. cxix. 103. 

What is the first mention made of honey in 
Scripture history ? 

A?is. When Jacob sent his children into Egypt 
to buy corn, he told them to take with them pres- 
ents of balm and honey, spices and myrrh, nuts 
and almonds. Gen. xliii. 11. 

When was that? 

Ans. Ages before the coming of Christ. 

How was the promised land described to the chil- 
dren of Israel? 

Ans. As a land flowing with milk and honey. 

Is it spoken of more than once in this way ? 

Ans. Yes. Many times. 

How was this literally true of Palestine? 

Ans. The bees built in hollow trees, and in the 
crevices of rocks, and the combs were oftentimes 
so full that they broke down, and the honey poured 
out from them. 

What did the ancients think about honey ? 

Ans. That it fell from the heavens, some said 
from the stars, and was then gathered by the bees. 

How have people learned better ? 

Ans. By closely watching the habits of the bees. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN JULY. 123 

Why is the honey bee the most interesting of in- 
sects f 

Ans. Because of its wonderful structure, and its 
curious habits, and because it has so long shared 
its sweet food with man. 

How do the bees live? 

Ans. In communities, or families, called swarms. 

Are all the bees in a swarm alike f 

Ans. There are three kinds in every swarm ; 
one queen, or mother bee, several hundred drones, 
or males, and sometimes as many as twenty thou- 
sand workers. 

What does the queen bee do f 

Ans. She lays all of the eggs, many thousands 
in all, and sometimes as many as six in a minute. 

What does she do before laying each egg f 

Ans. She runs her head into a cell and exam- 
ines it; then she comes out and deposits an egg in 
the cell, fastening it to the top of the cell. 

What becomes of the egg f 

Ans. In a few days a little white worm is 
hatched from it. 

What becomes of the worm 9 

Ans. The working bees feed it several days, 
after which they close up the cell with wax ; then 
the worm spins itself a cocoon, and in a few days 
more gnaws out and begins its bee life, itself a bee. 

What else do the icorkers do besides caring for 
the eggs f 

Ans. They build the cells and keep them clean, 
and store them with honey ; and they wait upon 
the queen and unon the young bees. 



124 MANY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSON. 

With what do the workers build the cells/ 

Ans. With wax. 

Where do they get the icax ? 

Ans. They obtain the ingredients of it from 
flowers ; these undergo a chemical change in their 
bodies, and the wax drops from them in the form 
of thin scales. 

What is necessary to the production of wax ? 

Ans. Plenty of food, quiet, and warmth. 

What is essential to the wax f 

Ans. That it should be soft enough to work, yet 
hard enough to bear the weight of the honey, and 
of the young bees. 

How is this provided for ? 

Ans. When it comes warm from the body of 
the bee, it is soft, and can be easily moulded ; as it 
cools it hardens. 

What other quality has wax which is necessary 
in the material of these cells ? 

Ans. It does not let air pass through it, and this 
is necessary to prevent the honey from fermenting. 

When the working bees are building the cells, into 
how many classes are they divided? 

Ans. Into three. 

What are their separate duties f 

Ans. The first band of workers lay the founda- 
tion of the cells; the second examines and adjusts 
the angles, and removes superfluous wax ; and the 
third set wait upon the others, and feed them when- 
ever they are hungry. 

Is any other substance besides wax used in build- 
ing the cells f 



FIKST SUNDAY IN JULY. 125 

Ans. Yes, a substance which they collect from 
gum-bearing trees, which is called propolis. 

What is its use f 

Ans. To strengthen the edges of the work, to 
stop all holes, and to varnish the cells. 

What do these little cells form f 

Ans. Honey-conib. 

What is there wonderful about them f 

Ans. Their form and arrangement, and thinness 
and strength; besides many other things. 

What is their form f 

Ans. They are six-sided, and closed with flat 
plates at the ends. 

How are they arranged? 

Ans. Many cells are grouped together, and to 
the bases of these is attached a similar group, their 
mouths opening in opposite directions. Between 
these double rows of cells spaces are left, making 
passages between, in which the bees pass and re- 
pass. 

In what manner do the bees work f 

Ans. Commencing at the top, they work down- 
wards. 

What has been ascertained respecting the cells, by 
mathematical calculation f 

Ans. That they are so arranged as to give the 
greatest possible amount of space and degree of 
strength with the least material. 

Why is this important for the bees f 

Ans. Because the wax is secreted in very small 
quantities, while the honey is far more abundant. 



126 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Do you suppose the bee plans and arranges, and 
contrives and reasons ? — 

If the bee cannot do this, how is it done f 
Ans. God works in and through the little bee, 
and so tells us of His wisdom, and His skill, and 
His love. 

"All things that are, though they have several ways, 
Yet in their being join with one advice 
To honor God : and so I give Thee praise." 



SECOND S UNDA T IN JUL T. 127 

SECOND SUNDAY EST JULY. 

honey bees — (continued.) 

" Eat honey, my son, for it is good ; 
And the honey-comb, which is sweet to thy taste; 
So learn thou wisdom for thy soul." Prov. xxiv. 13, 14. 

For what else are the cells used, beside nurseries 
for the young bees f 

Ans. As storehouses for the honey ; after the 
young bees are hatched out, the workers clean out 
the cells, and prepare them for the reception of 
honey. 

Where do the bees get their store of honey f 

Ans. From the flowers. 

From all flowers ? 

Ans. No. They carefully select those which 
are suited to the purpose, and will make good hon- 
ey; and they avoid all that are poisonous. 

What lesson may the young learn from this f — 

Sow do they obtain the juices of flower 'sf 

Ans. Their Creator has furnished them with an 
instrument for the purpose, called the proboscis. 

Can you describe it f 

Ans. It is an elongation of the under lip, and 
is covered on all sides with hairs. The bee thrusts 
this into the flower, and the juice of the flower 
adheres to the hairs ; when she withdraws it from 
the flower, she passes it through her jaws to scrape 
off the juice, which she swallows. 

What becomes of it next f 



128 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. It goes into a little receptacle, called the 
honey-bag, where it is very soon converted into 
honey, and from which the bee can empty it, at 
pleasure, into the> cells. 

When the bee is not using its proboscis, what 
does it do with it ? 

Ans. It folds it up, by means of a little joint 
made in it for the purpose. 

What else do the bees gather from flowers f 

Ans. The fine dust called pollen. 

What use do they make of it ? 

Ans. It is mixed with honey and converted into 
food (bee bread) for the young grubs. 

How do the bees collect the pollen? 

Ans. The body of the bees is covered with hairy 
down. As they enter the flowers the pollen ad- 
heres to this, and they are soon covered with it. 
In their hind legs they have £m little cavities, 
fringed with hair, called baskets, in which they 
carry home pollen, propolis, and other materials; 
the other legs are furnished with delicate hairy 
brushes, and with these they brush off the dust 
from their bodies, and then deposit it in their bas- 
kets to be carried home. 

Do the drones work ? 

Ans. Not in the same way as the working bees. 

Is this because they are idle ? 

Ans. No ; but because God has not given them 
the proboscis and honey-bags, and brushes and bas- 
kets, which the workers have. 

What else has He given to the queen and the 
ivo?'kers i which the drone has not ? 



SECOXD SUXDAY IN JULY. 129 

Ans. A sting. 

What is the use of the sting f 

Ans. To drive away other insects, which would 
rob them of the sweet food they had gathered, if 
they were not able to defend it. 

Where did bees originate f 

Ans. In the East. 

When were they introduced into the United 
States f 

Ans. In the latter part of the seventeenth cen- 
tury. 

What lessons may ice learn from the bees f 

Ans. Industry, order, neatness, and obedience ; 
cheerfulness, early rising, unselfishness, and many 
other things, if we would but listen to them. 

How do they teach us industry f — 

Sow do they teach order f — 

How neatness f 

Ans. In many ways. Every particle of dust 
and dirt is carried from the hive ; and if a snail, or 
any other creature too large to be driven from the 
hive, finds its way in, they sting it to death, and 
then cover it and fasten it to the floor with propo- 
lis, so that no bad odor may escape. 

What are they particular about beside cleanli- 
ness ? 

Ans. A constant supply of fresh air. 

How do they ventilate the hives f 

Ans. Some of the workers station themselves 
by the entrance to the hive, both inside and out- 
side, those outside with their heads towards the 
door, those within with their heads in the opposite 



130 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

direction. They then keep their wings in constant 
motion, and thus produce a powerful current of air. 
This keeps the hive pure and healthy. 

How do bees teach early rising f 

Ans. By being up and on the wing as soon as it 
is light enough for them to see. 

How do they teach obedience f 

Ans. By the love and reverence they show to 
their queen mother, whose slightest command they 
obey. 

Can you mention any other traits of the bee, or 
curious fact respecting them f — 

What other lesson do the bees teach us f 

Ans. The same as is taught by the fowls of the 
air. " If God so careth for these, will He not much 
more care for thee, O thou of little faith ? " 



THIRD S VNBA Y ZiV JUL T. 131 

THIRD SUNDAY IN JULY. 

THE LILT. 

When Jesus would teach his disciples not to be 
anxious about raiment for the body, to what did 
he direct their attention ? 

Ans. To the wild flowers growing about them. 

What did he say to them f 

Ans. " Consider the lilies of the field, how they 
grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet 
I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory 
was not arrayed like one of these." Matt. vi. 
28, 29. 

Why do you suppose that Jesus chose the lily in 
preference to other flowers, to impress this les- 
son f — 

Will it not help us to understand and obey the 
injunction of Jesus, if we learn what we can about 
the groioth of the lily f — 

Is this all that is necessary f 

Ans. No. We must also take to heart the les- 
son that it teaches. 

What is this lesson f 

Ans. A lesson of confidence and trust in our 
heavenly Father's thoughtful care of us, and a les- 
son of humility. 

How many kinds of lily grow wild in Judea f 

Ans. Two. A golden colored lily, and a scarlet 

lily. 



132 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Do not the lilies which we know teach the same les- 
son, and may not the same be said of them also? — 

If we consider well the lily, what is the first be- 
ginning of it f 

Ans. A little, round, scaly root, hidden under 
ground. 

If you take the root and lay it away in a dry, 
cool place, what do you see f 

Ans. ~No change at all. 

If you take the same root, even after a very long 
time, and give it air and moisture, and warmth 
and darkness, what loill take place f 

Ans. It will send down little roots, like white 
threads, from the under side of the bulb. 

What are these for ? 

Ans. To fix the coming j^lant firmly in the 
ground, and to draw up material and nourishment 
for it. 

What shoots upward at the same time that the 
roots shoot downward ? 

Ans. A slender green stem. 

Has this stem any leaves ? 

Ans. Different kinds of lilies grow differently. 
Some have leaves growing from the flower-stalk ; 
in others, the leaves grow separately, coming di- 
rectly out of the ground, and growing to their full 
size before the flower-stalk appears. 

In either case, what appears at the end of the 
flower-stalk f 

Ans. A closely folded bud, without any uncom- 
mon beauty. 

When the bud opens, what do ice behold? 



THIRD SUNDAY US JULY. 133 

Ans. A flower, beautiful in form and coloring, 
and in many kinds sending out a sweet perfume. 
From ichat teas the flower formed f 
Ans. From the same air and rain, and dew and 
heat, as nourished the root and strengthened the 
stem, and caused the leaves to grow. 
Is not this a truly wonderful thing f — 
What further was added to give coloring to leaf 
ste?n, and blossom f 
Ans. Sunshine. 

What ■peculiarity of the lilies can you mention f 
Ans. The flower is composed of six parts, called 
petals ; and it has six thread-like stamens rising in 
the middle of it, and six rows of seeds in its seed- 
vessels, and these seed-vessels are three-sided, and 
have three cells and three valves. 
What shall we say of this f 
Ans. " Who doth not know that the hand of 
Jehovah doeth these things ? " Job xii. 9. 
Of how many different colors are lilies f 
Ans. They are of almost every color; golden 
and crimson, and scarlet and blue, and purest 
white; and they are veined, and striped, and 
shaded, and freckled, and are beautiful in every 
way. 

" Who can paint like Nature ? 
Can imagination boast amid its gay creation 
Hues like these ? " 

What more is there in the lily beside these things 
which we have mentioned ? 

Ans. " The presence of God, every moment ar- 
raying the plant in glory." 



134 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What gives the lily a peculiar interest for us ? 

Ans. The fact that Jesus thought it worthy of 
his notice. 

Of what has the white lily always been consid- 
ered an emblem ? 

Ans. Of chastity. 

In what pictures is it often seen on that account? 

Ans. In pictures of the Virgin Mary. 

To what does Jesus allude when he says of the 
lilies, " They toil not, neither do they spin " ? 

Ans. To the way in which men make the mate- 
rials for their garments. 

Is it not tconderful to see hoio the silk-worm's 
shroud, and the sheets warm coat, and the down 
of the cotton, and the fibres of the flax plant, can 
all be changed into beautiful garments ? — 

IVhat is more wonderful still? 

Ans. To see how from a little root, a slender 
stem, and a few green leaves, comes a graceful and 
beautiful flower, to gladden the eye of man, and to 
teach him the lesson of trust. 

What does God give to the lily ? 

Ans. Its beautiful garment, with which the 
royal robes of King Solomon, even, will not com- 
pare. 

What question does Jesus ask? 

Ans. "Will He not much more clothe you, O 
ye of little faith ?" Matt. vi. 30. 

Does God clothe us in the same way that He 
does the lily ? — 

Does He clothe the lily and the bird alike? — 



THIRD SUXDAY IX JULY. 135 

What is necessary to clothe the lily? 

Ans. Growth. 

What is necessary for man, in order to clothe 
him f 

Ans. Labor, and care, and ingenuity, and mate- 
rials from God's storehouse. 

How does God clothe us, then f 

Ans. All these are His gifts, and without Him 
we could do nothing. 



136 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN JULY. 

THE RAINBOW. 

" I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a cov- 
enant between me and the earth." Gen. ix. 13. 

What is the Scripture account of this covenant ? 

Ans. That after Noah came forth from the ark, 
God made a covenant with him, and with his seed 
after him, and "with every living creature of all 
flesh which is upon the earth." Gen. ix. 16. 

What was this covenant ? 

Ans. " That there should never any more be a 
flood to destroy the earth." Gen. ix. 11. 

What icas the token of this covenant ? 

Ans. The bow in the cloud. 

It is said, " God set His bow in the cloud; " did 
He form the rainbow merely by willing that there 
should be one ? 

Ans. We believe that it was the necessary re- 
sult of certain laws which He had established from 
the beginning, and which are still in operation. 

Does that make it any less wonderful, or any the 
less a proof of GooVs power? 

Ans. No. But on the contrary, it seems all the 
more so. 

How can that be? 

Ans. If God had made the rainbow merely by 
willing it to be, without any natural cause for it, 



FO UR TH S UNDA Y IN JULY. 137 

it would have proved His exceeding power ; but 
the establishment of laws from the beginning, 
which shall forever bring certain results to pass, 
speaks not only of exceeding j)ower, but of infinite 
wisdom and forethought. 

What is GooVs natural law about the rainbow f 

Ans. That when the sun is shining in one part 
of the heavens, and rain falling in the opposite 
part, a rainbow can be seen by a person standing 
between them, and looking towards the rain. 

Is a rainbow made of rain f 

Ans. No. It is made of light ; but it is made 
by the rain. 

How is it done ? 

Ans. The drops of rain turn the rays of light 
out of their course, and separate them into the dif- 
ferent colors of which they are composed. 

JBy what means does the rain turn the light out 
of its course f 

Ans. It is in accordance with one of the laws 
of light, that its rays shall always be bent in pass- 
ing obliquely from one medium to another of dif- 
ferent density. 

Sow is that shown in this instance f 

Ans. Air is one medium, water is another of dif- 
ferent density, and consequently the rays, in passing 
from the air into the drops of rain, are turned out 
of their course. 

Sow does this separate the rays into their differ- 
ent colors f 

Ans. Rays of different colors are not bent equal- 



138 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

ly in passing from one medium to another, and in 
that way they are separated. 

What else is necessary before we can see the rain- 
bow? 

Ans. That the rays of light shall enter our eyes. 

How can they do that f 

Ans. The rain-drops reflect, or send them back 
to us. 

Does one drop give all the colors to our eyes f 

Ans. No. Some drops give one color, some 
another. 

What are the different colors of the rainbow ? 

Aiis. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, 
and violet. 

Are they always arranged in the same order ? 

Ans. Yes. But when there are two bows, the 
order of the colors is reversed in the outer one, 
which is a reflection of the first. 

What is noticeable in the bow beside its brilliant 
colors f 

Ans. The beauty of its form. 

What is that form ? 

Ans. A perfect circle, or part of a circle. 

On what does the bow seem to rest f 

Ans. On the horizon ; but sometimes it extends 
below it, and is seen on grass and trees. 

Why is a rainbow larger at some times than at 
others ? 

Ans. When the sun is exactly on the western 
horizon, just one half of a circle is above the op- 
posite horizon ; but if the sun is above the horizon, 
then the bow will be less than half a circle. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN JULY. 139 

How can more than half of a complete circle be 
seen f 

Ans. By the observer standing on a high moun- 
tain, so that a line drawn from the sun to the oppo- 
site horizon shall be below him. 

Has a perfect circle ever been seen? 

Ans. Yes. Persons on high mountains have 
sometimes seen one on the clouds beneath them. 

Do any two persons ever see the same bow f 

Ans. No. Because the eye must be at an equal 
distance from every part of the circle in order to 
see it; and no two persons can ever occupy the 
centre of exactly the same circle. 

If the observer changes his place, does he still 
see the same rainbow f — 

Is a rainbow always seen in the east ? — 

Has the rainboio any material use, or is it capa- 
ble of being converted to any such use f — 

Is it without use, then? 

Ans. The Creator has implanted in us a love 
for beautiful things, which is as much a part of our 
nature as is a necessity for food or sleep ; and 
every object which gratifies this love of beauty is 
a proof of His love for us. 

What more is it f 

Ans. It is a revelation of God to us ; an expres- 
sion of His love of beauty. 

What effect do the recognition and enjoyment 
of beauty have upon us f 

Ans. They develop our nature, by lifting us out 
of ourselves ; and so far as we recognize God in 



140 MANY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSON. 

the beauty of the universe, they raise us above our- 
selves, and brings us nearer to Him. 

Of what is all natural beauty a ty}je ? 

Ans. Of spiritual beauty, such as is in God, and 
in all good men in less degree. 

How does the love of the beautiful make us re- 
gard the universe f 

Ans. "As the temple of the living God, in 
which praise is due, and where service is to be per- 
formed." 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JULY. 141 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN JULY. 

See Appendix. 



142 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

FIRST SUNDAY m AUGUST. 

THE ANT. 

What teacher does Solomon recommend to a cer- 
tain class of people f 

Ans. 

" Go to the ant, sluggard ! 
Consider her ways, and be wise ! " 

Who are sluggards f 

Ans. Lazy folks. 

With what two ways of teaching are we ac- 
quainted? 

Ans. By precept and example. 

Which is best, and in which way does the ant 
teach f — 

What may we learn from having so small a 
creature recommended to us as a teacher ? — 

Are there any sluggards now upon the earth, to 
learn a lesson from the ant f — 

Why is the ant a good teacher for them f 

Ans. Because of its great industry. 

Why else? 

Ans. Because it is an early riser. 

Is there any other reason f 

Ans. Because, "having no guide, overseer, or 
ruler, she provideth her meat in the summer, and 
gathereth her food in the harvest." Prov. vi. 6. 

What is the lesson ichich she thus teaches to us 
all? 



FIRST S UNDA Y IN AUG UST. 143 

Ans. Diligence, and the improvement of present 
opportunities, whatever they may be ; the summer 
and the harvest last only for a season, and cannot 
be recalled ; so too with our opportunities of cul- 
ture, and of usefulness. 

Why will it be well to study the habits of the ants ? 

Ans. That we may see if any other lessons are 
to be learned from one who is recommended to us 
as a teacher. 

Are all ants alike ? 

Ans. No. There are a great many kinds. 

How are they distinguished from each other f 

Ans. By their size, their color, and the manner 
in which they build their homes. 

Where does the mason ant build her house ? 

Ans. On the ground. 

What materials does she use f 

Ans. Sand and clay, kneaded with rain water, 
as a mason kneads his mortar. 

How does she build? 

Ans. She makes long galleries, with pillars, and 
arches, and chambers, story upon story. 

How many stories are there sometimes in an ant 
hill? 

Ans. As many as thirty or forty. 

With what do they cover the whole ? 

Ans. With a round thatched roof, made of dried 
leaves and grass. 

How does the mining ant build her house ? 

Ans. She hollows out long galleries, and a great 
number of chambers, under ground, in the clay or 
turf. 



144 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What other trade is there among ants f 

Ans. There is the carpenter ant. 

Where do they build? 

Ans. In living trees. 

How are their nests made f 

Ans. They have also galleries, which are paral- 
lel to each other, and separated by partitions about 
as thick as letter paper, with little chambers, which 
have small oval openings for doors. 

Could man, icith all his wisdom, build a house 
better suited for an ant than she builds herself/ — 

Could a mason ant build a nice house for a Car- 
penter ant, or would a mining ant know how to 
build one for a mason ant ? — 

What does this teach us f 

Ans. That for each one of us there is some work 
for which we are adapted ; something which we 
can do better than anything else, and that we 
should try to find out what that is, and do it. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN AUGUST. 145 

SECOND SUNDAY IN AUGUST. 

the ant — (continued.) 

What else did Solomon say about ants ? 

Ans. 

" There are four things which are small upon the earth, 
Yet are they wise, instructed in wisdom. 
The ants are a people not strong, 
Yet they prepare in the summer their food." 

Prov. xxx. 24, 25. 

Are all ants made to work ? 

Ans. No. In every nest there are three kinds 
of ants ; the males, the females, and the neuters, 
which are workers. 

How may they be distinguished from each other ? 

Ans. The males and females have wings; the 
workers have none. 

Do the females alicays icear their wings? 

Ans. No. When they are ready to begin to 
lay eggs, they unfasten their wings with their feet, 
and cast them aside as we do our old clothes. 

What kind of ants are there the most off 

Ans. Nearly all are workers. 

What else have the icorkers been called? 

Ans. Nurse ants ; also neuters and soldiers. 

Why are they called icorkers ? 

Ans. Because they build the nests, and repair 
them if they are injured, and keep them clean, and 
do all the work of the family. 



146 MANY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSON, 

Why are they called nurse ants f 

Ans. Because they take all the care of the eggs, 
and of the little ants. 

Why are they called soldiers f 

Ans. Because J-hey guard their homes ; and 
when the male and female ants are disposed to run 
away and found new homes, as they often do, they 
send out a company to bring them back and keep 
guard over them ; and because they fight battles. 

How do the ants' eggs look? 

Ans. Very small, milk-white, and oval. 

What is peculiar about these eggs ? 

Ans. They grow before they are hatched. 

What do the nurse ants do with the eggs f 

Ans. They carry them out of the nest every 
morning, into a warm place in the open air, and 
when the sun becomes too hot, they move them 
into the shade, and at night they carry them in 
again. 

Do they carry them out on rainy days ? 

Ans. No. Instead of that, they carry them into 
the dryest chambers in the nest. 

What else do they do for the eggs ? 

Ans. In very dry weather they keep them moist 
with their saliva. 

What becomes of the eggs f 

Ans. In about two weeks a little worm is 
hatched out of them. 

What do the nurse ants do for these little worms f 

Ans. They feed them, and carry them about as 
they did the eggs. 

What becomes of the worms, or larva, as they 
are called? 



SECOND S UNDA T IN AUG UST. 147 

Ans. They spin little cocoons for themselves, 
which look like grains of wheat, and are then 
called piipa. 

What do the nurse ants do for the pupa ? 

Ans. When it is time for them to hatch, they 
gnaw an opening in the cocoon, because the young 
ants cannot get out without help. 

What other good traits have we discovered in the 
ants beside their industry f 

Ans. Kindness to and care for the young, and 
a disposition to assist each other. 

May we not also learn of them in this respect ? — 

Save the ants any bad traits of character f 

Ans. Yes. They are great fighters, and very 
cruel. 

What do some kinds of ants do f 

Ans. They steal the eggs and pupa of other 
ants, and carry them to their own nests ; and when 
they are hatched they make slaves of them, and 
oblige them to do all the work of the dwelling; 
they make slaves also of their prisoners of war. 

What is the principal food of ants f 

Ans. Dead insects and animals, and all kinds of 
sweet food, particularly honey. 

What do they prefer to anything else t 

Ans. Honey dew. 

Where do they find it f 

Ans. On many plants, where it is deposited by 
little insects, called aphides. 

What else are the aphides sometimes called? 

Ans. The milch-cows of the ants. 

Why? 



148 MANY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESSON. 

Ans. Because when an ant is hungry, it goes up 
to one of these little creatures and caresses it, by- 
stroking it with its feelers, till it induces it to give 
out two little drops of a sweet liquid, from two 
openings in its back. When the ant has eaten all 
that one aphis can give, it goes to another and gets 
more. 

How have all these things been learned about the 
ant ? 

Ans. By long-continued and patient observa- 
tion, and study. 

Do ants store up food in summer and autumn 
for winter use f 

Ans. They do to some extent, in warm climates, 
because the supply is more abundant in the warm 
season ; but in cold countries they sleep through 
the winter, and do not require any food. 

When we study about a little creature so wise 
and so wonderfully made as the ant, of what should 
we be led to think f — 

What other lessons have been drawn from the 
study of the ant f 

Ans. "That we should judge of people by their 
qualities and habits, and prefer industry, and ap- 
plication to business, and forethought, and wisdom, 
to size, or beauty, or strength ; also that we should 
admire the wisdom and power of the Creator as 
much in the smallest and most despicable creatures, 
as in the largest and most beautiful." 



THIRD S UNDA T IN A UGUST. 149 



THIRD SUNDAY IN AUGUST. 



When Isaac blessed his son Jacob, what were his 
words f 

Ans. " God give thee t)f the dew of heaven, and 
of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and 
wine." Gen. xxvii. 28. 

What was the blessing wherewith Moses blessed 
Joseph? 

Ans. " Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the 
precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the 
deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious 
fruits brought forth by the sun." Deut. xxxiii. 
13, 14. 

Sow long ago was that f 

Ans. Thousands of years. 

Is not the deio as precious now as it icas then f — 

Why are we so apt to undervalue Gods good 
gifts to us f 

Ans. Because we have never known what it was 
to need them. 

What is oftentimes the residt of our familiarity 
with blessings? 

Ans. To make us forget the Giver. 

What effect should it have upon us ? — 

What ivas the old idea about the dew ? 

Ans. That it fell from the moon, or the stars. 

What has been learned about it in later t 



150 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. That it neither comes clown from heaven, 
nor yet up out of the ground. 

Where does it come from f 

Ans. God forms it fresh every evening. 

Of what does He make it ? 

Ans. Of the moisture that is in the air. 

Why do we not see the moisture f 

A?is. Because it is suspended, or diffused in 
the air. 

How is this moisture formed into drops f 

Ans. By the air coming in contact with bodies 
colder than itself. 

Why does it have that effect f 

Ans. Because heat always expands moisture, 
and cold condenses it. 

Is the earth colder than the air? 

Ans. It is colder at night, and warmer in the 
daytime. 

Why is that ? 
. Ans. In the day, the earth absorbs the sun's 
rays more readily than the air, and at night it parts 
with its heat more freely. 

What part of the night is the most dew formed? 

Ans. The latter part of the night. 

Why is that? 

Ans. Because the earth continues to grow cooler. 

If you put your hand on different substances, do 
they all feel equally warm f — 

Why do they not f 

Ans. All bodies radiate heat, that is, give it out 
in rays ; but some radiate much more freely than 
others, and of course become cooler. 



THIRD S UNDA T IN AUGUST. 151 

Why is dew formed more abundantly on some 
things tha?i on others? 

Ans. Because the colder anything is, the more 
readily it will condense the vapor in the air. 

What hind of things radiate heat most freely ? 

Ans. Grass, wood, the leaves of plants, and cul- 
tivated soils. 

Sow are God's love and wisdom shown in this f 

Ans. Those things which need moisture, and 
might perish without it, God has made to radiate 
heat freely. 

Mention some substances which do not radiate 
heat, nor form dew freely. 

Ans. Polished metals, rocks, gravel, and the 
hard, bare ground* 

Do such things need moisture f — 

What would be the consequence if polished met- 
als formed dew as readily as grass does f 

Ans. They could never be kept free from rust. 

Are these not further proofs of God's wis- 
dom f — 

Is there more dew formed in hot or in cold 
countries ? 

Ans. In hot countries. 

In which is the most needed, and why ? — 

Is there more dew in a cloudy or a clear night ? 

Ans. In a clear night. 

Why is that f 

Ans. Because when there are clouds they radi- 
ate heat, and they also send back the heat which 
the earth radiates. 

Why is there but little dew on windy nights f 



152 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESS OX. 

Arts. Because the wind absorbs and bears away 
the moisture. 

What does dew become when it freezes f 

Ans. Frost. 

Why, then, is there frost on clear, cold nights, 
and none when it is cloudy f — 

Why is evening dew injurious to health ? 

Ans. Besides the danger of taking cold from the 
dampness of clothing, the dew is always laden with 
noxious exhalations from the earth. 

Why does the dew vanish when the sun has risen ? 

Ans. Because the air becomes warmer, and ab- 
sorbs the vapor. 

Describe a drop of dew. — 

Is it not more beautifid and perfect than dia- 
monds or pearls? — 

Which is the most useful to us ? — 

Why are they valued more than the dew f — 

What is the use of dew f — 

How much dew forms in the course of a year f 

A?is. More in some countries than in others. In 
England it has been estimated that if the dew 
which forms in one year could be gathered to- 
gether, it would cover the country five inches deep 
with water. 

Of what does dew take the place in dry sea- 
sons f — 

If a drop of dew is evaporated, how large a vol- 
ume of vapor will it produce f 

Ans. Nearly two thousand times its own bulk. 

Of what is dew an emblem f 

Ans. Of purity. 



THIRD S UN DA Y IX AUGUST. 1 53 

What is noteworthy about the dew f 
Ans. Its perfect silence. Though it blesses the 
whole earth, it gives no sound in doing so. 

"The dew of heaven is like God's grace; 
It steals in silence down ; 
But where it lights, the favored place 
By richest fruits is known." 



154 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN AUGUST. 



" Dost thou understand the balancing of the clouds, 
The wondrous works of Him that is perfect in knowledge ? * 

Job xxxvii. 16. 

What does this passage suggest to us f 

Ans. How little we know of the clouds, and how 
wonderful are the works of Him who is perfect in 
knowledge. 

What should come with this sense of our igno- 
rance f 

Ans. A desire to learn all which can be known 
of these wondrous works. 

What are some of the questions which we ash 
ourselves about the clouds f 

Ans. How are they formed ? Of what do they 
consist? How are they balanced in the air? What 
gives them their forms and colors ? What separates 
them from each other? "What hand has reined 
them back by the way by which they came ? " 

Can we answer all of these questions f 

Ans. Only a few of them. 

Why should we ash them then f 

Ans. Such questionings raise our thoughts from 
the trifles which surround us into a higher region. 

Of what are the clouds made? 

Ans. " He bindeth up the waters in His thick 
clouds." Job xxvi. 8. 






FO UR TH S TJNDA Y IN AUG UST. 155 

Hoio are they formed? 

Ans. Watery evaporations rise from the whole 
surface of land and sea into the air, till they meet 
with cooler air, which condenses them into clouds. 

How are these evaporations disposed in the 
clouds ? 

Ans. In hollow bladders of vapor charged with 
electricity. 

What is the effect of the electricity ? 

Ans. It prevents the bladders of vapor from 
melting into each other, and falling in the form of 
rain. 

Sow far are clouds from the earth? 

Ans. .They occupy a belt in the atmosphere 
which reaches from one to five miles from the sur- 
face of the earth. 

Are they confined within these limits ? 

Ans. The highest clouds are sometimes fifteen 
miles from the earth, and the lowest have been 
known to touch steeples, or the tops of high trees. 

What is their form? 

Ans. They have every variety of form ; we 
never see any two precisely alike. 

Is there any law or ride about their form? 

Ans. There is, and it is God's law. 

Why is it well to find out God's laws about 
things, and the way in which He works ? — 

Into how many distinct classes have clouds been 
divided? 

Ans. Into three, which are called cirrus, cumulus, 
and rain clouds. 

What distinguishes them from each other? 



156 MAXY TEACHERS, BUT OXE LESS OX. 

Ans. Each has its own region, in which it is 
formed, and its own specific character. 

Which are the clouds nearest the earth ? 

Aiis. The rain clouds. 

What is their form ? 

Ans. They are usually arranged in horizontal 
bands. 

What do they include? 

Ans. Fogs and mists. 

What are their colors f 

Ans. They are usually soft and subdued colors, 
oftenest gray. 

When do they form ? 

Ans. About sunset, and disperse in the morning. 

What are the clouds called which are farthest 
from the earth? 

Ans. Cirrus ; the Latin word cirrus means a tuft 
of hair. 

Of what are they composed? 

Ans. Of the purest watery vapor, and of crystals 
of ice. 

What do they resemble ? 

Ans. Carded wool or hair, or a crest of white 
feathers, or a brush or broom. 

What is one of their characteristics ? 

Ans. Their arrangement into parallel bars, or 
bands, or fibres. 

lYame other peculiarities. 

Ans. Their great variety, their constant changes, 
the beauty and richness of their coloring, and the 
sharpness and delicacy of their outlines. 

When do we see the clouds in their brightest 
colors ? 



FOURTH SUXDAY IN AUGUST. 157 

Ans. When the sun is just below the horizon, 
and they reflect his light from their under sides. 

How long do these clouds last ? 

Ans. From a few moments to several hours. 

Why are they purer than other clouds? 

Ans. Because they are out of reach of all foul 
gases which rise from the earth's surface. 

What is the name of the clouds in the central 
cloud region? 

Ans. Cumulus, which means a pile or heap. 

Why are they called by that name ? 

Ans. Because they often look as if they were 
heaped up on one another. 

What do they sometimes resemble ? 

Ans. Mountains covered with snow. 

How large are they ? 

Ans. Often as large as mountain ranges. 

When are they formed? 

Ans. They begin to form soon after sunrise, and 
break up before sunset, and on that account are 
called day clouds. 

What is their color ? 

Ans. Usually white or gray. 

Do all clouds belong to one or other of these 
classes ? 

Ans. Sometimes there are combinations of cirrus 
and cumulus, or of cumulus and rain clouds. 

How large are the clouds ? 

Ans. Some are no larger than a man's hand, 
while others have been estimated to have as many 
as twenty square miles in surface, and over a mile 
of thickness. 



158 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What are the general characteristics of clouds ? 

Ans. Beauty, lightness, elasticity, diversity of 
form and coloring, grace of motion, constant change, 
yet conformity to laws. 

Would all the uses of clouds have been answered 
without the beauty ? 

Ans. We see no reason why all material uses 
might not have been. 

For what purpose may ice suppose them to have 
been so beautifully and wonderfully formed f 

Ans. To direct the mind to their Creator, and 
to give His children enjoyment. 

Is not this source of pleasure free alike to all 
God's children ? — 

Who seem to have taken peculiar pleasure in the 
contemplation of the clouds ? 

Ans. Writers of the Scriptures. 

What is said of the Lord in Ps. civ. 3 ? 

Ans. 

" He maketh the clouds His chariot, 
He rideth upon the wings of the wind." 

What is meant by this ? — 

Why is the Bible so full of figurative language ? 

Ans. It was almost universally used in the East 
in those early days. 

How are the clouds constantly spoken of in the 
Bible? 

Ans. As God's dwelling-place. 

Where is this first alluded to? 

Ans. In the account of the journeyings of the 
children of Israel, given in Exodus. 

What is said in chapter xiii. 21, 22 ? 



FOURTH SUNDAY IX AUGUST. 159 

Aiis. "And the Lord went -before them by day 
in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by 
night in a pillar of fire, to giye them light ; to go 
by day and night ; He took not away the pillar of 
cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from 
before the people." 

What is said in chapter xvi. 10 ? 

Ans. " Behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in 
the cloud." 

How did God appear to Moses on Mount Sinai f 

Ans. "And Moses went up into the mount, and 
a cloud covered the mount ; and the glory of the 
Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud 
covered it six days, and the seventh day He called 
unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud ; and 
Moses went into the midst of the cloud." Ex. 
xxiv. 15, 16, 18. 

What is said in. Ex. xxxiv. 5 ? 

Ans. "And the Lord descended in the cloud, 
and stood with him there." 

What did Jesus prophesy of himself Matt. xxiv. 
30? 

Ans. " They shall see the Son of man coming in 
the clouds of heaven, with j)ower and great glory." 

What was the end of Jesus' career upon the 
earth ? 

Ans. "While they beheld, he was taken up; and. 
a cloud received him out of their sight." Acts i. 9. 



160 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN AUGUST. 

See Appendix. 






FIRST SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 161 



FIRST SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 

MOSSES AND LICHENS. 

" Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God." 

Job xxxvii. 14. 

Sow do these words apply to the subject of our 
lesson for to-day f 

Arts. Of all the wondrous works of the Creator, 
none are more truly wonderful than these curious 
plants, which are, in themselves, " a whole world 
of new wonders." 

In what respects are they particularly worthy of 
our attention f 

Ans. On account of their universal distribution 
over the earth, their uses to man and beast, their 
minuteness, the perfection of their parts, their 
beauty and grace, and the various lessons which 
they teach us. 

Where are they found? 

Ans. In every part of the habitable globe, from 
the equator to the poles, but more abundantly in 
the colder regions. 

On what do they grow f. 

Ans. On roofs and fences, and on trunks of 
trees ; on rocks and earth ; on river-banks ; in 
densest forests, and on loftiest mountain peaks; 
wherever there is moisture, there mosses and 
lichens will grow. 



162 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



On ichat do they i 

Aiis. On simplest fare, needing only air and 
water for their sustenance. 

What is their principal work in the world? 

Ans. To gather and preserve moisture when the 
air is damp, and to give it out again when it is 
needed by vegetable life about them. 

If we seek for lessons from the little mosses, what 
may we learn from this fact? — 

What other general use have they ? 

Ans. To prepare the way for higher forms of 
vegetable life. 

How do they do this ? 

Ans. They retain the moisture of the dews and 
rains, and catch and hold prisoner the particles of 
dust which the winds blow over them, and thus, 
in time, create a soil which they keep moist, and in 
which the stray seeds which come to them take 
root and thrive. 

How else do they enrich the earth ? 

Ans. They decompose the surface of the rocks 
which they cover, and crumble in pieces the moun- 
tains on which they grow ; and this powdered 
mountain and rock, washed down into the valleys 
below, fertilizes and strengthens the soil. 

How do these tiny plants destroy the solid rocks? 

Ans. Their myriads of roots penetrate every 
little pore and crevice in the rocks, and there the 
water follows them ; and there the frost, too, 
reaches ; and, in one way and another, they de- 
compose the rock, whatever it may be, whether 
granite, or hornblende, or quartz. 



FIRST SUNDAY I2T SEPTEMBER. 163 

~What have they been called? 

Ans. "God's quartz-crushers," doing faithfully 
his work. 

How does this washing doion of the crumbled 
rock strengthen the soil? 

Ans. The silex which these atoms contain is an 
essential ingredient in grasses, grains, and other 
vegetable forms, and is necessary to give them 
strength ; and this they have the power of dissolv- 
ing and secreting wherever they can obtain it. 

What do we learn about the mosses which grow 
in swamps or marshy places ? 

Ans. Year by year, while the surface is still 
fresh, they die gradually below, and form large 
beds of peat, which furnish fuel for thousands of 
God's children. 

Have they not other uses as valuable as this ?■ 

Ans. They furnish nourishing food and medicine 
to the sick. 

Mention an instance of the latter use of them. 

Ans. During Napoleon's wars, when there were 
so many sick and wounded, and quinine, which is 
found only in South America, was deemed indis- 
pensable, it was impossible to obtain it, because the 
whole continent was under embargo ; and it was 
then discovered that certain lichens possessed the 
same properties, and they came into general use as 
a substitute. 

How are they used as food? 

Ans. In the polar regions, where vegetable food 
is rarely found, some species of lichens are soaked 
and cooked with milk, or dried and made into 



164 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESS OX. 

bread. There is another kind, called " tripe of the 
rock," which was the sole food for months of Sir 
John Franklin and his companions ; and even with 
us the Irish moss is esteemed an article of luxury. 

Do these curious plants give food to man alone? 

Ans. Oftentimes the lives of whole herds of 
reindeer are preserved by them. 

JTow do they obtain them? 

Ans. Smelling them through the ice and snow, 
they dig for them with horns and feet, and for a 
large part of the year live upon these small and 
simple plants. 

Are these all of their uses f 

Ans. Only a small part of them. Man uses 
them for brushes, door-mats, and beds, while the 
little humming-bird chooses them to cover her 
nest, and thus hides it from curious gaze. The 
dormouse and other small animals hide under its 
sheltering care, and thousands of insects make 
their homes in it, and live out their little lives 
there. 

Mention still another use. 

Ans. They furnish valuable dyes, and more than 
three thousand hundred weight are sent annually 
from the Canary Isles alone for that purpose. 

Is it probable that ice know all of their uses? 

Ans. Judging from the number which are recent 
discoveries, it is not at all probable that we do. 

What tender association have ice all icith them ? 

Ans. They attach themselves to decay and ruin, 
and cover them with beauty, and they cling to the 
graves and tombstones of those we love, and thus 
link themselves with their memories. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER, 165 

SECOND SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 

mosses and lichens — (continued.) 

" I meditate on all Thy works. 
I muse on the works of Thy hands." Ps. cxliii. 5. 

Why have we spoken indiscriminately of mosses 
and lichens ? 

Ans. Because so many of their characteristics 
are the same, that it is difficult to distinguish be- 
tween them, and because they are so generally con- 
founded. 

What is the difference betioeen them f 

Ans. Mosses have stems and leaves, while lichens 
have none. 

How many varieties of them are known f 

Ans. Eight hundred of the mosses, and twenty- 
five hundred of the lichens. 

What can you say of their size f 

Ans. It varies. The long gray mosses of the 
southern swamps hang " silent and solemn " from 
the branches of the tallest trees, and almost sweep 
the ground with their drapery; while others are 
of smaller growth and various sizes, and many are 
invisible to the naked eye, and were never seen by 
man till the microscope was invented. 

Is it not just as likely that there are many others, 
all perfect in their parts, and yet too minute to be 
seen by the microscope f — 

Have not these probably their uses too f — 



166 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Save the mosses blossoms and seed-vessels ? 

Ans. They have both, though the blossoms are 
generally too small to be seen by the unaided eye. 

What is the usual shape of the seed-vessels ? 

Ans. A hollow ball, running up to a point, on 
which hangs a tiny and graceful cup. 

What is the use of this cup ? 

Ans. To protect the ripening seeds ; when it is 
no longer needed for that purpose, — that is, when 
the seeds are ripe, — it falls off, and the mouth of 
the little seed-ball opens, and the tiny seeds are 
scattered by the winds. 

What are found in many hinds around the 
opening of the little seed-vessel ? 

Ans. Rows of sharp-pointed teeth, which doubt- 
less have their work to do. 

What is very wonderful about these little teeth? 

Ans. Their astonishing regularity of numbers, 
there being always four, or an exact multiple of 
four. 

What effect do drought and a scorching sun have 
upon the lichens and mosses ? 

Ans. It dries them so that they crumble at a 
touch, but it never kills them ; when the dew or 
the rain returns, they are as fresh and bright as ever. 

What other p>ecidiarity can you mention? 

Ans. While the strongest vessels of glass, or 
china, or metal, are broken in pieces by the pres- 
sure of a frozen liquid within them, the delicate 
moss-cups remain frozen through an entire winter, 
and are found uninjured in the spring, growing as 
merrily as before. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 167 

What are some of the lessons which we may 
learn from them f 

Ans. 1. That to the least of God's creatures he 
has given noble uses to perform, and that we may 
never despise aught that He has made, or despair 
of doing some good because of our insignificance. 

2. That God delights in beauty, both of form 
and coloring, and gives it to some of his smallest 
creations. 

3. A lesson of modesty, and humility, and trust. 

4. To pity and cover the faults and weaknesses 
of others, even as the moss and lichen cover the 
crumbling rock or the decaying wood. 

What lesson did they teach to Mungo Park, the 
African traveller? 

Ans. "If God so feedeth and careth for the 
little moss, He will not surely forget thee." He 
had lain down to die in the wilderness, overcome 
with disappointment and weariness, and the sight 
of a tiny moss, growing fresh and green by his side, 
filled his heart with new faith and new hopes. 
Are mosses mentioned in the Bible f 
Ans. Not by name. They attract but little at- 
tention amid the magnitude and luxuriance of 
growth in those sunny climes ; but Solomon is said 
to have spoken " of all the trees, from the cedar 
tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that 
springeth out of the wall." 1 Kings iv. 33. 
What is this hyssop supposed to be f 
Ans. Some writers suppose it to be a species of 
moss very common on the walls of Jerusalem; 
others think that it is a kind of mint found there. 



168 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 

LITTLE THINGS. 
" For who hath despised the day of small things ? " Zech. iv. 10. 

Why is a false estimate so often made of the 
value of things f 

Ans. Because, with natural objects, we only 
consider their size, and because with all things we 
cannot see, or we forget to consider, their results. 

Mention some of the little things in nature. 

Ans. Seeds of plants, grains of sand, animalcu- 
la, motes of dust, pollen of plants, &c. 

How do some of these acquire importance? 

Ans. By their capacity for growth. 

Mention an example. 

Ans. Seeds, in which are the germs of all plants, 
and of the largest trees. 

Consider an acorn, how small it is; yet what may 
come from it f 

Ans. A stately tree which shall endure for cen- 
turies perhaps, a house and haunt for many birds 
and insects, a shelter for man and beast. By and 
by it may be cut down and converted into fuel for 
warming many people, and into timber for building 
ships to carry men and merchandise, and, it may 
be, plenty to a famishing people, or war to a peace- 
ful nation. 

Of what small seed did Jesus speak ? 



THIRD SUXDAT IN SEPTEMBER. 169 

Ans. The mustard seed, to which he likened the 
kingdom of heaven. 

What did he say of its growth ? 

Ans. "When it is grown, it is the greatest 
among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the 
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches 
thereof." Matt. xiii. 32. 

What must we remember in connection with this f 

Ans. The larger growth of plants in the East 
than with us. 

In what other way beside growth can little things 
acquire importance f 

Ans. By their combined action. 

Mention instances of this. 

Ans. Drops of water, grains of sand, rays of 
light, flakes of snow, swarms of insects, the hairs 
of our heads, &c. 

Is there not still another way in which little 
things become important f . 

Ans. By constant repetition; as the continual 
dropping which weareth away a stone. 

Mention some little things which become impor- 
tant by the effect which they produce. 

Ans. A mosquito, a flea, or a gnat, are all small 
things, yet all have the power of destroying our 
peace, and sometimes our temper. 

What can you say of a single drop of poison f 

Ans. It may destroy life ; so may the prick of 
a pin. 

What was done by a little fire-cracker, carelessly 
thrown f 

Ans. A great city was set fire to, and thousands 
of people left houseless and homeless. 



170 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What can you say of the coral insects f 
Ans. Working under water, and extracting from 
it the minute particles of lime, they build up reefs, 
on which sometimes navies are stranded; or of- 
tener, perhaps, stray seeds are caught, vegetation 
springs up, and fertile islands are formed. 

How do mosses and lichens illustrate the same 



Ans. They work slowly and steadily on the 
mountains and rocks, and crumble them in pieces ; 
nor do their effects stop here, for this crumbled 
rock washes down into the valleys, and gives 
strength to thousands of hungry plants. 

What can you say of the ship-worm ? 

Ans. It is a little worm, but numbers of them 
work noiselessly side by side, and all at once a 
great ship is wrecked, and it is found that a worm 
has done it by so weakening some part of its cov- 
ering that the water has forced a way in. 

Wliat can you say of the locust f 

Ans. It is a small insect, but thousands of mil- 
lions of them fly together, making a noise like rain, 
darkening the sky, covering whole miles in extent, 
and eating up every green thing. 

What do other i?isects do f 

Ans. They undermine the crevasses on the 
banks of great rivers, and cities and villages are 
overflowed. 

What has Solomon spoken of in the song which 
he has written f 

Ans. Of the little foxes which spoil the vines. 

Mention some little creatures that are friends of 
man. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 171 

Ans. The earth-worm that we trample under 
our feet is one of the greatest benefactors of the 
husbandman, loosening the hardest and most un- 
profitable soil, and making it rich and fertile. 

Is this the only worm to ichich man is indebted? 

Ans. The silk-worm spins its thread, and the 
inhabitants of the earth are clothed in soft gar- 
ments, and a tiny insect, called the cochineal, yields 
a brilliant dye for it. 

Does any little insect help to feed him ? 

Ans. Yes. The bee gives him its rich store of 
honey. 

What can you say of the number and variety 
of little things? 

Ans. The microscope reveals to man more in- 
sects and animals than he sees with the naked eye, 
and uncounted numbers of tiny plants. In all of 
these, the same wonderful power and wisdom, and 
harmony of purpose, are displayed, as in the crea- 
tion of man, or of the heavenly bodies. 

What does a single drop of stagnant water often 
contain ? 

Ans. Millions of minute insects of various forms. 

Of what is flint made? 

Ans. Of the shelly coverings of minute insects, 
invisible to the naked eye. 



172 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 

little things — (continued.) 

What little things are spoken of in Prov. xxx. 

24-28? 
Ans. 
" There are four things which are small upon the earth, 

Yet are they wise, instructed in wisdom. 

The ants are a people not strong, 

Yet they prepare in the summer their food. 

The conies are a feeble people, 

Yet do they make their houses in the rocks. 

The locusts have no king, 

Yet do they all go forth in bands. 

The lizard seizeth with its hand, 

And is in king's palaces." 

What is the lesson which we may learn from 
these examples f 

Ans. That we are not to judge of things, or of 
people, by their size or personal appearance, but 
rather by the results which they produce, or the 
works which they do, or the wisdom which they 
display. 

These which we have spoken of are all material 
things, which may be seen by the eye, or felt by the 
touch. What other little things are there f 

Ans. Events trifling in themselves, but leading 
to great results. 

Mention instances. 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 173 

Ans. The accidental burning of sea-weed on 
sand led to the discovery of glass ; by the acci- 
dental mixing of nitre and potash, gunpowder was 
discovered. 

Mention an incident in the life of Columbus. 

Ans. A piece of broken drift-wood floating on 
the ocean convinced Columbus and his disaffected 
crew that land was near, and gave them fresh 
courage to go on when they would otherwise have 
turned back. 

What did the small moss do for Mungo Park f 

Ans. It revived his courage and saved his life. 

To what has the notice of trifling events often 
led? 

Ans. To the most important discoveries. 

Give examples. 

Ans. Newton noticed the falling of an apple, 
and was not satisfied till he had found the cause 
of it, and the discovery of the law of gravitation 
was the result. A little steam, escaping from a 
kettle, led to the invention of the steam-engine. 
The swinging of a lamp revealed to Galileo the law 
of the pendulum. 

How is the sailor enabled to direct his course 
across the trackless ocean where no path is ? 

Ans. A very little thing, called the magnetic 
needle, points out to him the way. 

Of events, can we ever caladate what their results 
will be, or where they will end f — 

Is a habit a little thing, whether it be good or 
bad? — 

Is a word a little thing f — 



174 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Why is it not f — 

3Iention instances of the power of words. — 

To what did the wisest man liken a word fitly 
spoken f 

Ans. " To apples of gold in pictures of silver." 
Prov. xxv. 11. 

To what is this expression supposed to refer f 

Ans. To a rich garment on which were embroi- 
dered apples of gold in pictures (or figures) of 
silver. 

To what may icords of bitterness, or malice, or 
envy lead f — 

What lesson may we learn from all these things? 

Ans. Never to despise or overlook anything 
simply because it is small. 

Can you mention an instance given in the Scrip- 
tures where this was done f 

Ans. When Naaman the Syrian went to the 
prophet to be cured of leprosy, the prophet told 
him to go and wash in Jordan seven times, and he 
should be healed. Then Naaman was wroth, and 
went away in a rage ; and his servants came to 
him and said, " If the prophet had bid thee do 
some great thing, wouldst thou not have done 
it?" 

Did Naaman afterwards obey the prophet? and 
what teas the result ? 

Ans. He obeyed, and was healed. 2 Kings 
v. 14. 

Do not little things teach us still other lessons ? 

Ans. The lichens teach perseverance, humility, 
and cheerfulness. Drops of water and grains of 



FO UR TH S TJNDA Y IN SEP TEMB ER. 175 

sand remind us of the power of combined action. 
The discoveries which have been made in this 
way tell us that nothing should be overlooked or 
despised ; and all teach that God careth for the 
little things which He hath made, and giveth them 
beauty and honor. 

When God icould teach Sis prophet Elijah, how 
did He come to him f 

Ans. In a still small voice. 

Did Elijah hearken to this f 

Ans. He did. 

What may we learn from this f — 



176 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER. 

See Appendix. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 177 



FIRST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 



In the beginning, after God had gathered the 
waters together into seas, so that the dry land ap- 
peared, what did He cause the earth to bring forth ? 

Ans. God said, " Let the earth bring forth grass, 
the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding 
fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the 
earth ; and it was so : the earth brought forth grass, 
and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree 
yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his 
kind ; and God saw that it was good." Gen. i. 11, 12. 

Why did the Creator give to every plant and tree 
its oicn seed after its hind? 

Ans. That the plants which He had made should 
never die out from the earth, but when they per- 
ished, or were destroyed, others, of the same kind, 
should take their places. 

Is there not infinite love and wisdom in this 
provision of the Creator for the well-being of all 
Sis children, with whom He should ever people the 
earth ? — 

Have all plants seeds ? 

Ans. Yes, even to the very tiniest. 

What is the beginning of every plant? 

Ans. A seed. 

What is the last thing that is perfected in a 
plant ? 



178 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. The seed. 

What is the seed which a plant produces exactly 
like f 

Ans. Like that from which it sprung. 

What, then, is the seed of every tree and plant ? 

Ans. A link between the old plant and the new. 

What more is it f 

Ans. A truly wonderful thing. 

Could anything less than infinite wisdom and 
power have produced it f — 

Sow can we best comprehend the wisdom of the 
Creator in this arrangement ? 

Ans. By learning all that we can about the 
growth and perfecting of seeds. 

What is the beginning of every seed? 

Ans. A little soft, round particle, called an 
ovule, in the very heart of the flower. 

Is it enclosed in anything f 

Ans. Yes, in a little case called a germ. 

What may we ahoays notice in our studies about 



Ans. The tender care which the Creator takes 
of them, that they may not be destroyed. 

How many ovules are there in one germ f 

Ans. In some plants one, in some two, and from 
that to many thousands. 

What is necessary in order to give life to this 
little ovule ? 

Ans. That some of the pollen of the same sort 
of plant should come in contact with it ; the touch 
of that gives it life. 

What is pollen f 



FIRST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 179 

Ans. The fine dust which is found in nearly all 
flowers. 

What is its color f 

Ans. Usually yellow or brown, but sometimes 
red, or blue, or white. 

Mention examples of some of these. — 

Does the pollen always grow in the same flower 
with the ovules f 

Ans. No ; and sometimes not even on the same 
plant, but on another plant of the same kind. 

How, then, does it find the seeds f 

Ans. Winds waft it, and insects carry it, from 
plant to plant, and from flower to flower. 

How do insects carry it f 

Ans. Going into flowers for their juices, they 
become powdered with it ; then going into other 
flowers, where the seed is, they bring it in contact 
with the seeds. 

What are these little insects, then? 

Ans. God's servants, doing His work joyfully 
and well. 

In our common corn, how does the pollen find 
the young seeds? 

Ans. The seeds grow very low down on the 
stalk, and are folded up in three or four green 
leaves, open at the top ; the pollen grows in flow- 
ers at the top of the plant, and when the wind 
shakes the blossom, the pollen drops into the open 
leaves, and falls down upon the seeds. 

What helps to catch the pollen and carry it to the 
ovules f 

Ans. The silk of the corn, which seems to have 



180 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

been made for that purpose, and is a part of the 
seed blossom. 

After the pollen of plants has touched the young 
seeds, what takes place 9 

Ans. They begin to grow and ripen. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 181 

SECOND SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 

seeds — (continued.) 

Are all seeds alike f — 

How do they differ f 

Ans. In size, form, color, taste, smell, and uses. 

Mention the largest seeds that you can think 

of— 

Mention the smallest. — 

Are there any smaller than these f 

Ans. A countless number and variety, which 
the eye cannot see without the aid of a microscope. 

In what respects are all seeds alike f 

Ans. They all consist of three parts, the eye, the 
husk, and the kernel. 

What is the eye f 

Ans. The little scar or spot on one side of the 
seed, which we see so plainly in a bean. 

What causes this ? 

Ans. The seeds, until they are ripe, are attached 
to the seed case by a little membrane, through 
which they receive nourishment ; when the seed 
ripens, this drops off and leaves a scar ; that is the 
eye. 

What is the husk f 

Ans. The covering which encloses the seed. 

What is the kernel f . 

Ans. That which is enclosed ; it is usually white* 

Into how many parts is the kernel divided f 



182 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. Into three. 

What is the first of these? 

Ans. The embryo, which is the most important 
part. 

Why* ^- 

Ans. Because it is the part which is the seeet of 
life, and will by and by grow. 

What comes next ? 

Ans. A little lobe, or lobes, which enclose the 
embryo, and nourish it. 

In what plant have we all seen these lobes ? 

Ans. In the bean, when it first comes out of the 
ground. 

What else is there in the kernel ? 

Ans. The albumen, which encloses the other 
parts, as the white of an egg encloses the yolk. 

Is the embryo composed of more than one part ? 

Ans. Yes, there are two parts, the root and the 
young plant. 

What did the Psalmist exclaim in view of God's 
wonderful works? 

Ans. 

"I will praise Thee, Lord, with my whole heart I 
I will show forth all Thy marvellous works. 
I will be glad and rejoice in Thee." Ps. ix. 1, 2. 

Are the Creator's works less wonderfid now to us 
than they were then to him, or less a proof of God's 



Do seeds begin to grow, and form new plants, as 
soon as they are ripe ? 
Ans. Not often. 
How soon do they sometimes begin to grow ? 



SECOND SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 183 

Ans. Some seeds, if placed in very favorable cir- 
cumstances, will begin to grow in a few hours. 

Mow long have they been known to remain inac- 
tive, and still live ? 

Ans. Thousands of years. 

3fention instances. 

Ans. Grains of wheat, taken from mummies em- 
balmed thousands of years ago, have been known 
to grow; and seeds buried in Pompeii eighteen 
hundred years ago. 

What is necessary to the germination of seeds ? 

Ans. Air and warmth. 

What else are favorable to it? 

Ans. Moisture and darkness. 

Which of these do seeds have when planted in the 



Is the fitness of the place in which seeds are to be 
planted accidental f — 

Of what is it a proof? — 

When a seed begins to grow, how much power 
lies in it? 

Ans. The pressure of some seeds, germinating, 
will lift a weight which a man cannot stir ; all have 
more or less force. 

When the seed begins to grow, what part stirs 
first ? 

Ans. The root pushes out of the seed, and finds 
its way down into the ground, if the seed is planted 
there. 

Why does the root grow first? 

Ans. That it may keep the young plant firm in 
its place, and help to nourish it. 



184 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Does there not always seem to be a good reason 
for everything which God does ? — 

After tJie root has started, what takes place next? 

Ans. The young plant grows up into the air 
and light.- 

Why is that? 

Ans, Because it must have air and light. 

Do the roots always grow dozen, and the plants 
up? 

Ans. Yes, even if they come out of the seed in 
the opposite direction. In that case they bend 
and go the other way, often crossing each other. 

How do we see the wisdom of this arrangement ? 

Ans. If it were not so, only those seeds would 
live and take root, which were placed so that the 
root would naturally grow down and the plant up- 
wards ; and as no one could know how to do that, 
there would be no certainty, in planting seeds, that 
they would ever come up. 

What is necessary in order to diffuse plants 
generally over the earth? 

Ans. That some arrangement should be made 
for scattering the seeds. 

Do we see that any such arrangement has been 
made ? 

Ans. Yes, there are many such. 

What are they ? 

Ans. Many seed vessels, particularly of the 
smallest plants, burst open with such force, when 
the seeds are ripe, as to scatter them far and 
wide ; others are carried by winds and waters, by 
birds, beasts, and insects. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 185 

What hinds are carried by the icinds f 

Ans. Those that have down, like dandelions and 
thistles ; or wings, like the maple and linden, and 
ash and pine, or the feathery clematis. 

Which seeds do the waters carry f 

Ans. Nuts which are enclosed in a shell, and 
will float. 

Which do beasts and birds carry ? 

Ans. Those which they feed upon ; and some- 
times small seeds which fasten to the wool of sheep 
or goats, or to the hair of other animals, as the ox 
and the bison. 

Can you mention some curious facts with regard 
to these two methods of distributing seeds f 

Ans. Gardeners in Sicily are in the habit of 
shooting migratory birds, as they journey north in 
the spring, and then sowing the contents of their 
stomachs, for the purpose of getting new flowers 
for their gardens, brought from more southern 
climes. Also Asiatic plants have been imported in 
camels' hair, and South American plants in the 
hides of oxen and buffaloes, and Russian plants in 
furs. 

Is there more seed than is necessary to plant the 
earth ? 

Ans. A good many times more. 

Why is this f 

Ans. In part to guard against every possible 
accident, so that in no way may the kind become 
extinct. 

Are there other uses for these spare seeds? 

Ans. Yes. Many of them furnish food for men, 



186 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

and beasts, and birds ; so many, that that seems to 
have been one purpose of their creation. 

For ivhat other purposes have seeds been used f 
Ans. Some as medicines, some as spices, and 
from many oils are extracted which are used in the 
arts. 

Is it probable that all their uses have been dis- 
covered? 



THIRD SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 187 

THIRD SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 

FRAGMENTS. 

" Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." 

John vi. 12. 

By whom were these words spoken, and on what 
occasion ? 

Ans. When Jesus had fed five thousand people 
with five barley loaves and two small fishes, he 
said to his disciples, " Gather up the fragments that 
remain, that nothing be lost." 

With what purpose did he probably do this f 

Ans. To teach them in such a way as they 
should never forget, that nothing should ever be 
wasted. 

How else does this lesson come to us? 

Ans. God teaches it constantly, by showing us 
how everything which He has made can be used 
over and over again. 

Will you mention an instance of this f 

Ans. Into the sea are washed constantly, from 
all the countries of the earth, waste substances, ap- 
parently lost forever ; salt, lime, magnesia, potash, 
oxide of iron, and iodine. Of these the shell-fish 
construct their coverings, and the coral insects 
build reefs, and islands, and peninsulas ; while 
"the little sea-weeds, with their millions of open 
mouths," suck in tons upon tons of them for their 
food, which they in their turn yield up to the ser- 
vice of man. 



188 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Mention another instance. 

Ans. The leaves of summer, when they have 
accomplished their work for the season, fall lifeless 
to the ground ; but there they decay, and enrich 
the earth, and make it yield still more abundant 
harvests. So, too, the very dirt which we trample 
under our feet has in it the elements of growth 
and beauty ; and all these teach the lesson that 
nothing should be lost. 

Has man fully learned this lesson f 

Ans. Not yet ; but from year to year he makes 
some progress in it, finding uses for that which had 
been deemed mere waste. 

What are some of these uses which man has 
learned f 

Ans. For ages, the tangled masses of sea-weed, 
strewn upon the beach, have been looked upon as 
useless rubbish ; but now, by means of various pro- 
cesses, numerous valuable substances are extracted 
from them. 

What are some of these f 

Ans. In a single year, five thousand tons of 
potash, and two thousand of soda, were intro- 
duced into the English market, through the burn- 
ing of sea-weeds upon the coasts of Scotland and 
Ireland alone. 

What other important substance is obtained al- 
most exclusively from this source? 

Ans. Iodine, a substance of almost inestimable 
value in medicine and the arts. 

Of what beautiful art does it form the basis f 

Ans. Of the photographic art. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 189 

What has been said of the waste sea-weeds f 

Ans. " They shall be a type of the uncounted 
riches lying hid in all creatures of God." 

What do workmen in gold, and silver, and dia- 
monds do f 

Ans. They gather up every particle of dust, and 
hoard it for future use. 

Is the dust of more common substances ever 
worth saving? 

Ans. When the stone workman has wrought 
his best pieces of granite into monuments for the 
dead, or pillars and fronts of buildings, then a score 
of uses is found for the rougher pieces; while 
the broken stone chips are converted into roads, 
and the very dust is spread upon the ground to 
strengthen the soil, so that nothing is lost. 

What is done with the skins of dead animals ? 

Ans. We wear the best parts of them upon our 
feet; but the waste pieces are boiled, and the fat 
which rises is converted into candles or soap. 
From this process glycerine also is obtained. Then 
the water in which they have been boiled is evap- 
orated, and gelatine is the result ; this is not only 
used for adhesive purposes, but is converted into 
wrappings for sweetmeats, and made into artificial 
flowers. When more thoroughly purified, it comes 
to our tables, or into sick rooms, an article of food 
and luxury. 

What is done with the bones of animals f 

Ans. Buttons, and combs, and handles of knives 
are made of them. Then the dust and waste 
pieces are collected and boiled, and the fat which 



190 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

rises is made into soap and candles. The water in 
which they are boiled hardens into gelatine, and is 
used for glue or isinglass ; and the Waste pieces, 
after having been boiled, are burned in a closed 
furnace, and produce animal charcoal, v> Inch is used 
in immense quantities for filtering water, and refin- 
ing sugar, and healing diseases. 

What can be said of the discoverers of these uses f 

Ans. That they were benefactors of mankind ; 
men fulfilling the command, " Gather up the frag- 
ments, that nothing be lost." 

When a distinguished chemist was asked how he 
had made his great discoveries, vjhat did he reply f 

Ans. " By examining that which other chemists 
threw away." 

To what has the decay of the great empires of 
antiquity been ascribed? 

Ans. To the fact that they neglected to apply 
the refuse of the cities to the soil, but poured it 
into their sewers and their rivers. In this way the 
soil became exhausted, the crops failed, the supply 
of food was cut off, and the cities depopulated ; 
and all because they neglected the command to 
" gather up the fragments ." 



FOUBTB SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 191 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 

fragments — (continued.) 

" And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments." 

Matt. xiv. 20. Mark vi. 43. 

To whom does this refer f 

Ans. To the chosen disciples of our Lord. 

What lesson are ice taught by this example of 
the disciples ? 

Ans. To see that nothing be wasted. 

In what other way is this same lesson taught us f 

Ans. By God's manner of working in His uni- 
verse, and by the express command of our Lord. 

To what shall ice apply this command f 

Ans. To everything which God has given us, 
for our bodies or for our souls. 

Why should we save the fragments of food? 

Ans. Because many destitute ones might be 
glad of them, or they might at least feed a hungry 
bird or animal ; and because also of the command 
and the example. 

Why should we gather up the fragments of 
wealth f 

Ans. Because a penny even, wasted or mis- 
spent, is lost, or worse than lost ; but the practice 
of saving the smallest sums will prevent the poor- 
est from coming to poverty, and enable the rich to 
give freely to the poor, and to the needy. 



192 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Is there anything small or mean in saving little 
things f 

Ans. God does it, Christ commands it, the dis- 
ciples practised it. The meanness, when it exists, 
is not in the act, but in the motive which induces it. 
Of what else should ice gather up the fragments f 
Ans. Of time ; every moment is given for some 
precious use, for our own or others' good. 
"What did the poet Young say about this f 
Ans. 
" Youth is not rich in time ; it may be poor ; 
Part with it sparing, as with money. 
Pay no moment but in purchase of its worth." 

Mow may the odd moments of time be made 
available f 

Ans. By an earnest desire for self-improvement, 
or a resolute purpose to aid others. 

How has it been done f 

Ans. Sermons and letters, and books even, have 
been composed and written in cars, or steamboats, 
or on horseback; and thousands have been read 
and studied in the same way. 

Of what else shall ice gather up all the scraps 
which come in our way f 

Ans. Of learning; a single fact a day would 
make a man acquainted with a new language, or a 
new science, in the course of a year. 

What other reason is therefor this? 

Ans. Only a small portion of mankind can de- 
vote their days to study ; but he who gathers all 
the scraps of knowledge and wisdom which come 
in his way, will be in time great and wise. 



FOURTH SUNDAY Z.V OCTOBER. 193 

What other precious fragments may we gather? 

Ans. All the stray tokens of good will ; the lit- 
tle kindnesses which men do us, garnered in our 
thoughts and memories, will gladden and enrich 
our lives like the precious sunshine, and make 
our hearts go out in gratitude and love to those 
about us. 



194 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON, 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. 

See Appendix. 



FIKST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 195 



FIRST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 



" The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took 
and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." 

Matt. xiii. 33. 

What two things must we inquire about, if we 
would fully understand this teaching of our Lord? 

Ans. The nature of leaven, and what is meant 
by the kingdom of heaven. 

What is the only thing generally known about 
leaven, or yeast? 

Ans. The result which it produces. 

Who have interested themselves about its nature? 

Ans. Naturalists and chemists. 

What have they discovered ? 

Ans. That it is a vegetable substance, composed 
of simple globules or cells, sometimes round, some- 
times elliptical in form. 

How large are these ? 

Ans. From Y uw^ to won °f an mcn m diameter. 

Can you conceive of anything much smaller ? — 

Mow is it necessary to study them ? 

Ans. By aid of a microscope. 

What do these cells contain ? 

Ans. A fluid composed of carbon, hydrogen, ni- 
trogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur. 

How do they increase? 

Ans. As soon as fermentation begins, they move 



196 MANY TEACHERS, BUT O^E LESSON. 

about in all directions, enlarge, and become covered 
with projections, which finally drop off, and repeat 
the same operation. 

Do they arrange themselves in any regular 
form? 

Ans. Generally in rows, or as stalks with 
branches, appearing like branched plants. 

Is this anything more than an accidental ar- 
rangement f 

Ans. Writers on the subject differ in their 
opinion. 

How is the vitality of yeast proved f 

Ans. By its reproductive power ; by the effect 
upon it of heat and cold, and of various poisons, 
and also of mechanical injuries. 

What is known of the last f 

Ans. Foreign yeast is imported in bags, and of 
these great care is requisite, as a fall to the ground, 
a violent blow or a bruise, will destroy the vitality 
of the yeast. 

What are the effects of heat and cold? 

Ans. Boiling destroys its life ; cold renders it 
torpid while exposed to its action. 

Have all these things been long known 9 

Ans. Many of them are recent discoveries. 

To what property of leaven did our Lord refer 
in his parable f 

Ans. To its power of communicating its own 
vitality to the substance with which it is mixed. 

What is our next inquiry? 

Ans. How can the kingdom of heaven do this? 

If by the "kingdom of heaven" Jesus had 



FIRST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 197 

meant the abode of departed spirits, could this 
have been said of it f — 

What other term is often used instead of the 
kingdom of heaven f 

Ans. The kingdom of God. 

Who alone of the sacred writers uses the term 
kingdom of heaven f 

Ans. Matthew. 

How does Luke repeat the same saying f 

Ans. " Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of 
God ? It is like leaven, which a woman took and 
hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was 
leavened." Luke xiii. 20, 21. 

What did Jesus reply to the Pharisees, when 
they asked of him when the kingdom of God 
should come f 

Ans. " Behold, the kingdom of God is within 
you." Luke xvii. 21. 

What did Paid write to the Romans about the 
kingdom of God? 

Ans. " The kingdom of God is not meat and 
drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost." Rom. xiv. 17. 

How is this kingdom of God, in the heart, like 
leaven f — 

As certain circumstances are favorable and ne- 
cessary to the working of leaven, is it not so with 
the kingdom of God in the heart f — 

Who imparts the first germ of righteousness f 

Ans. " Every good and every perfect gift is from 
above, and cometh down from the Father of 
lights-." James i. 17. 



198 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Does not God always surround his children with 
favorable circumstances, sufficient to develop this 
germ, if it is cared for f — 

"What are some of these circumstances f 

Ans. All occasions for joy or gratitude, all op- 
portunities for right doing, may be classed among 
them. 

Are the favorable circumstances in any degree 
dependent upon ourselves f — 

Upon whom will the responsibility rest ? — 

What is the result of the leaven of righteousness 
on the life and character f 

Ans. Purity of heart, and uprightness of pur- 
pose, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and love. 

WJiat other results will there be f 

Ans. Joy and peace. 

Do these come all at once f — 

But if the true leaven is hid in the soid, what is 
the certain result f 

Ans. "A little leaven shall leaven the whole 
lump." 

Who has asserted this ? 

Ans. Paul, in his letters to the Corinthians and 
the Galatians. 

Of what other leaven did Jesus speak f 

Ans. He said to his disciples, " First of all, be- 
ware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is 
hypocrisy," Luke xii. 1. 

Does this leaven still exist in the loorldP — 

Is there still the same need to beware of it f — 

Against what other leaven did Paul caution the 
Corinthians f 



FIRST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 199 

Ans. " The leaven of malice and wickedness." 
1 Cor. v. 8. 

Save not all sinful passions the quality of 
leaven f — 

Where do they work f 

Ans. In the heart, where they are first felt, and 
in the world. 

For what is this a very strong reason f 

Ans. For guarding against the very first be- 
ginning of evil passions or desires. 



200 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 

THE HUMAN BODY. 

{< The body is one, and hath many members, and all the members 
of that one body, being members, are one body." 1 Cor. xii. 13. 

/// 

What does David say of himself Ps. cxxxix.-&*/ 

Ans. " I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and 
wonderfully made." 

With ichat aim shall we consider our bodily 
frame ? 

Ans. That we may learn how to preserve it, and 
that we, too, may be led to praise the Creator, and 
to extol His name. 

What teas the last work of creation^ as recorded 
in Gen. i. 26 ? 

Ans. " So God created man in His own image, 
in the image of God created He him." 

What did God say of this work f 

Ans. " That it was very good." 

What is the first thing noticeable in considering 
the human body f 

Ans. The number and variety of parts of which 
it is composed. 

What further f 

Ans. The wonderful adaptation of those parts 
to the purposes for which they are designed. 

And what else f 

Ans. The manner in which they cooperate and 
aid each other. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 201 

What is one of the first purposes of man's or- 



Ans. To make use of the elements on which he 
exists, air and water, food, light, and heat. 

What is the foundation of the structure of the 
body ? 

Ans. The bones. 

What is the first purpose of these? 

Ans. They are the framework of the body, to 
which the muscles are attached. 

What other use have they f 

Ans. To protect the soft and delicate organs 
from injury. 

Why are there necessarily so many small bones ? 

Ans. To give an opportunity for motion. 

What else is necessary for the same purpose? 

Ans. That the bones should be connected by 
joints. 

Do the bones produce motion ? 

Ans. No. The muscles communicate all motion 
to the bones. 

How many bones are there in the human body ? 

Ans. Two hundred and forty-six. 

Of these, how many are in the head, including 
the teeth? 

Ans. Sixty. 

How many in the legs and feet ? 

Ans. Sixty-two. 

How many in the arms and hands ? 

Ans. Sixty-four. 

How do the bones differ from each other? 

Ans. In shape and size. 



202 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What can you say of the bones of the limbs? 

Ans. They are hollow cylinders, because strength 
and lightness are required of them. 

What of the bones of the trunk and the head? 

Ans. They are flattened and arched. 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because they are required to protect cavi- 
ties and vital organs, and to give a large surface 
for the attachment of muscles. 

What purposes do other bones serve? 

Ans. Some act as levers, and others as pulleys, 
for the passage of tendons. 

Of how many small bones is the backbone com- 



Ans. Of twenty-four. 

Why are these small bones hollow ? 

Ans. To allow of the passage of the spinal cord, 
and to protect it from all injury. 

Why is this so important ? 

Ans. Because the spinal cord is a vital part of 
the system, and very delicate in its structure. 

Why is there a series of small bones {the ribs) to 
enclose the lungs ? 

Ans. In order to allow the lungs to contract 
and expand. 

To what are the bones essential ? 

Ans. To the uprightness, the motion, the power, 
and the beauty of the whole body. 

What do we notice next to the bones ? 

Ans. The ligaments. 

What are they f 

Ans. Tough cords, which bind the bones to- 
gether, and hold them in their [daces. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 203 

WJiat are tendons ? 

Ans. Cords which attach the muscles to the 
bones. 

What are muscles ? 

Ans. Fleshy fibres, bound together by a soft, 
shining tissue, and forming the flesh. 

Sow are they arranged? 

Ans. In pairs. 

To what purpose f 

Ans. That when one muscle has moved a part 
of the body, its companion may bring it back into 
place. 

What other purpose do they serve ? 

Ans. To cover and jDrotect the framework. 

To tohat are they necessary ? 

Ans. To the comeliness of the figure. 

Sow. many have been noted in the body ? 

Ans. Two hundred and forty-six. 

What are their color and form ? 

Ans. They are red in color, and present a great 
variety of forms, wisely adapted to their several 
uses. 

Sow are the -muscles moved? 

Ans. They are excited to action by the nerves. 

What are the nerves ? 

Ans. Small cords running from the brain and 
spinal cord to all of the sensitive and active parts 
of the body. 

What is their office ? 

Ans. They are servants and messengers of the 
brain. 

Soto many classes of nerves are there ? 



204 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. Four ; nerves of motion, of sensation, of 
sense, and of sympathy. 

What are the nerves of motion ? 

Ans. Those servants of the brain which stimu- 
late the muscles to act. 

What are the nerves of sensation ? 

Ans. Those which inform the brain just how 
far its commands have been obeyed. 

What are nerves of sense f 

Ans. Those by which we hear, see, feel, smell, 
and taste. 

What are nerves of sympathy f 

Ans. Those which regulate the motion of the 
heart, lungs, stomach, the organs of secretion, &c, 
so that these shall all work in harmony. 

Is man capable of regulating all these various 
operations for himself? — 

By whom are they regulated? 

Ans. By Him who planned every part, and 
adapted it to its particular use. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 205 

THIRD SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 

the human body — (continued.) 

What is the source of the life of the body ? 

Ans. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood. 
. . . For it is the life of all flesh ; the blood of it 
is for the life thereof." Lev. xvii. 11, 14. 

What is essential to life f 

Ans. The circulation of the blood. 

What organ keeps up this circulation f 

Ans. The heart. 

What is the heart ? 

Ans. A hollow, muscular organ, which is never 
idle. 

Is it under the direction of a per sorts toillP 

Ans. It is not. 

Why is this f 

Ans. Because it must work at all times, whether 
we be fresh or weary, sick or well, awake or asleep. 

What is the structure of the heart? 

Ans. It. consists of four chambers ; two upper 
ones, separated from two under ones by valves. 

What is the pn*ocess of circulation f 

Ans. The blood, after being formed from the 
food, in its passage through the system passes into 
the upper right chamber, thence into the chamber , 
beneath it, from which it is forced into the lungs 
for the purpose of obtaining a fresh supply of ox- 
ygen from the air. After this is accomplished, it 



206 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

returns into the left upper chamber, is pressed into 
the lower chamber, and from that is sent out into 
the arteries. 

What are the arteries ? 

Ans. Tubes which convey the healthy blood 
into every part of the system. 

From what do they all proceed? 

Ans. From a single trunk, called the aorta, and 
they are given off from this like branches. 

In what do they all terminate f 

Ans. In an innumerable number of very minute 
vessels. 

With what do these vessels connect besides t/ie 
arteries f 

Ans. With another set of tubes, called veins. 

What are the uses of the veins ? 

Ans. To return the blood to the upper right 
chamber of the heart. 

What difference is there between the arteries and 
the veins ? 

Ans. The arteries are smaller and stronger than 
the veins, and more securely protected, being most- 
ly under the muscles, while the veins are near the 
skin. 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because an injury to them would be more 
dangerous than one to the veins. 

What other difference can you mention? 

Ans. The arteries branch out from a trunk, like 
the branches of a tree, while the veins unite like the 
little streams which form a river, and become larger 
and larger as they approach the heart to pour the 
blood into it. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 207 

What is essential to the life of the blood? 

Ans. A constant supply of fresh air. 

Which organs were provided to secure a fresh 
supply to the body ? 

Ans. The lungs. 

Of what are these composed? 

Ans. Of a collection of little cells, in which the 
air tubes terminate. 

How do they operate? 

Ans. They expand, and the pure air rushes in ; 
they contract, and the air, having been deprived of 
its oxygen, and so rendered unfit to breathe, is 
pressed out. 

From what parts of the body do we derive our 
principal enjoyment? 

Ans. From the organs of sense. 

Which are the senses ? 

Ans. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. 

What can you say of each of these ? 

Ans. That they are fearfully and wonderfully 
made. 

Which is the organ of taste ? 

Ans. The tongue. 

What other purpose does this organ serve? 

Ans. It is used in taking the food, and it is also 
the organ of speech. 

Why is this a more important member than any 
other in the body? 

Ans. Because " death and life are in the power 
of the tongue." Pro v. xviii. 21. 

For what opposite purposes is it used? 

Ans. "Therewith bless we God, even the Fa- 



208 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

ther; and therewith curse we men, who are made 
after the similitude of God." James iii. 9. 

Why should we fear the tongue f 

Ans. Because " the tongue is a fire, a world of 
iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, 
that it defileth the whole body." James iii. 6. 

Can it be tamed f 

Ans. "For any kind of beasts, and of birds, 
and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed 
and hath been tamed of mankind ; but the tongue 
can no man tame ; it is an unruly evil, full of dead- 
ly poison." James iii. 7, 8. 

What is our duty in regard to the tongue ? 

Ans. " If any man among you seem to be reli- 
gious, and bridleth not his tongue, that man's reli- 
gion is vain." James i. 20. 

How is this to be done ? 

Ans. 
" Guard well thy tongue from evil, 
And thy lips from speaking guile." Ps. xxxv. 13. 

What does Solomon say of the tongue of the 
just f 

Ans. "The tongue of the just is as choice sil- 
ver." Prov. x. 20. 

What does he say of the tongue of the wise ? 

Ans. " The tongue of the wise is health." Prov. 
xii. 18. 

What of a icholesome tongue ? 

Ans. " A wholesome tongue is a tree of life." 
Prov. xv. 4. 

What does he say of a virtuous woman ? 

Ans. "In her tongue- is the law of kindness." 
Prov. xxxi. 26. 



THIRD SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 209 

What does he say about ruling the tongue ? 
Ans. 

" Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, 
Keepeth his soul from trouble." Pro v. xxi. 23. 

What does the apostle Peter say about this f 
Ans. " For he that will love life and see good 
days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his 
lips from speaking guile." 1 Peter iii. 10. 

What use are we commanded to make of the 



Ans. " Open thy mouth, and plead the cause of 
the poor and needy." Prov. xxxi. 9. 



210 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 

the human body — (continued.) 

Have we mentioned all the members of the human 
body? 

Ans. No. There are many more. 

Why can we not speak of them all ? 

Ans. Because to mention and describe them 
would fill a book. 

Of what most important part of the whole system 
have we still to speak ? 

Ans. Of the brain. 

Why is this so important? 

Ans. Because it is the seat of sensation and per- 
ception ; also of the intellect and of the will. 

Is it peculiarly cared for ? 

Ans. It is, by being protected by two thick 
bones forming an arch over it. 

By what are the different members of the body 
bound together and protected ? 

Ans. By a covering called the skin. 

Of what is this composed? 

Ans. Of three separate layers. 

What are the nature and use of each of these 
layers ? 

Ans. The outer one is very thin, and its chief 
use is to protect the skin underneath and keep it 
moist ; the second is the seat of color, and makes 
people dark or fair; and the third, which is the 



FO UR TH S UNDA Y IN NO VEMBER. 211 

true skin, is full of nerves and blood-vessels, and 
feels every touch. 

Of what is the shin full? 

Ans. Of little holes called pores, through which 
impurities pass in the perspiration. 

What duty have we with regard to the shin ? 

Ans. To keep the pores open by keeping it 
clean. 

Are all these parts of the body necessary to each 
other? 

Ans. St. Paul says, " The eye cannot say unto 
the hand, I have no need of thee ; nor, again, the 
head to the feet, I have no need of you ; for they 
are many members, yet but one body." 1 Cor. 
xii. 21. 

Why is the human body of such value and im- 
portance ? 

Ans. Because it is the dwelling of the Spirit. 

What other purpose does it serve the Spirit? 

Ans. It is a machine by which it carries out its 
purposes. 

What has a devout poet said of it ? 

Ans. 

" Strange, that a harp of thousand strings 
Should keep in tune so long ! " 

What does Paul say of it ? 

Ans. " Know ye not that ye are the temple of 
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? 
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God 
destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, which tem- 
ple ye are." 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. 



212 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What further does Paul say in the same letter? 
. Ans. What ! know ye not that your body is the 
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which 
ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? For 
ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God 
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 
1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. 

If our "bodies are temples of the living God, have 
we not some duties in regard to them f 

Ans. We have. 

What are they f 

Ans. To supply them with nutritious food and 
healthful drink, and a constant supply of pure air ; 
to abstain from whatever may impair their useful- 
ness, and to keep them clean and pure. 

To whom do we owe these duties f 

Ans. To ourselves, to our fellow-men, and to 
God. 

What becomes of these bodies f 

Ans. The life goes out of them, and they are 
laid away. 

What further becomes of them? 

Ans. They crumble to dust, and live again in 
grass, and flowers, and trees. 

Are they forgotten f 

Ans. God never forgets anything which He has 
made. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN NOVEMBEE. 213 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER. 

See Appendix. 



214 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON, 



FIRST SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 



" For what is your life ? " Jama iv. 14. 

What was the occasion on which this question 
was asked f 

Ans. The apostle James was writing a general 
epistle " to the twelve tribes which are scattered 
abroad." 

Is the question of less importance to us than it 
was to them f — 

What does our Savior say of the value of life f 

Ans. " Is not the life more than meat, and the 
body than raiment ? " Matt. vi. 25. 

What statement of life is given in Gen. ii. 7 ? 

Ans. "And the Lord God formed man of the 
dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils 
the breath of life, and man became a living soul." 
. What does the breath of life imply? 

Ans. Existence and power of motion, and capa- 
city for enjoyment or suffering, through the organs 
of the body. 

What else shares this life in common with man f 

Ans. Every beast of the field, and fowl of the 
air, and fish of the sea ; every insect and reptile, 
and everything which hath breath. 

How does this animal life appear to us ? 

Ans. Full of wonder and beauty. 



FIRST SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 215 

Is it so to all f 

Ans. The wonder and the beauty are about us 
all, and senses have been given to all, by which to 
see and take them in ; and whoever will, may enjoy 
it all. 

Does the spiritual life begin when the animal life 
ends ? 

Ans. No, they begin together: when God 
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, then 
man became a living soul. 

When we speak of life here, or of human life, 
what do we include f 

Ans. Both the animal and the spiritual life. 

To which did Jam es evidently refer f 

Ans. To the life of the body. 

Mow does he answer the question which he has 



Ans. " It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a 
little time, and then vanisheth away." James iv. 14. 

In vjhat respects is our life like a vapor f 

Ans. It is unsubstantial and fleeting, and van- 
ishing as a vapor ; to-day we live, to-morrow we 
die, and the places which knew us shall know us 
no more. 

What is the length of life allotted to man f 

Ans. Threescore years and ten. 

Does it always reach that period? — 

When do a large proportion of those who enter 
upon life die f 

Ans. In infancy. 

Of what is this the result f 

Ans. Of the violation of God's laws of health by 
the child or its parents. 



216 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Are God's natural laws always binding upon 
us? — 

For what purpose were they made f 

Ans. For man's good ; and he cannot violate 
them without suffering the penalty. 

Are threescore years and ten the limit of man's 
life? 

Ans. No. Many live to fourscore, or even to a 
hundred years, and occasionally one exceeds that 
age. 

Is such a life like a vapor f 

Ans, Yes, in comparison with eternal life. 

What did Job say of our life f 

Ans. "My days are swifter than a weaver's 
shuttle." Job vii. 6. 

To what else did he liken the life of man ? 

Ans, 

* He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down ; 
He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." 

Job xiv. 2. 

What are the natural divisions of human life f 

Ans. They correspond to the seasons of the 
year: spring, summer, autumn, winter; infancy, 
childhood, manhood, old age. 

What can you say of them f 

Ans. Each has its own pleasures, trials, and 
duties ; and all exist together and aid each other. 

Can you see any wisdom in this division and 
arrangement f — 

Suppose there were only infants in the world at 
one time, what would result f — 

Suppose childhood was the only stage f — 



FIRST SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 217 

"What would become of manhood without the 
claims of infancy, childhood, and old age upon 
it? — 

How would it be with old age if it survived alone 
in the world? — 

Do the results of animal life end with death ? 

Ans. No. The body and soul are so closely 
bound together as to affect each other so long as 
either exists. 

Give an instance, 

Ans. If the organs of digestion are out of order 
melancholy and distrust are often the result, and 
from these may spring actual crime. 

Give another instance. 

Ans. If the mind is filled with anxious thoughts 
and cares or griefs, the body sometimes becomes 
enfeebled or diseased in consequence. 

How may these effects extend after the death of 



Ans. What the soul aims at here it may attain 
hereafter ; and as its aims here are affected by that 
which touches the animal life, so its condition in 
the new life may also be. 



218 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

SECOND SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 

life — (continued.) 

u I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it 
more abundantly." John x. 10. 

Of which life does Jesus here speak f 

Ans. Of the spiritual life. 

Of the life here, or of the future life f 

Ans. Of both, for they are parts of one and the 
same. 

How is the spiritual life superior to the animal? 

Ans. First in its duration. 

In what other respect is it superior ? 

Ans. In its aims. 

What is the aim of the animal man f 

Ans. Enjoyment. 

What of man the spirit? 

Ans. Perfection. 

In what does this consist ? 

Ans. In truthfulness, earnestness, faithfulness; 
in loving our heavenly Father with our whole 
hearts, and His children as ourselves. 

In what does a mail's life not consist ? 

Ans. Neither in length of days, nor " in the 
abundance of tilings which he possesseth." Luke 
xii. 15. 

In what does it consist ? 

Ans. In deeds, and thoughts, and feelings ; " he 



SECOND SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 219 

lives longest who thinks most, feels the noblest, 
acts the best." 

JBy what should the value of life be estimated? 

Arts. By the work which it has done for the 
world. 

Whose lives have been the most valuable ? 

Ans. The inventors, discoverers, philanthropists, 
teachers, writers, and good rulers. 

Are these the only ones tohose lives are valuable ? 

Ans. No. Whoever does well the work which 
God has given to him to do, is a real benefactor of 
the race, however humble his work may be. 

What is the all-important question with us in 
regard to our life? 

Ans. " Not how long we live, but how." 

What is a long life ? 

Ans. "That life is long which answers life's 
great end." 

And what is life ? 

Ans. St. Paul says, "to be spiritually minded 
is life." Rom. viii. 6. 

How do the possessions of this life compare with 
God's promises for our future life? 

Ans. Here we have beauty and fragrance, and 
harmony and variety ; and for the life to come, the 
assurance that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath entered into the heart of man to con- 
ceive, the things which God hath prepared for 
those who love Him." 

What relation does the life here bear to that 
which is to come? 



220 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. This is a preparation for that. We live 
here that we may learn how to live there. 

For what will gentleness, meekness, patience, 
brotherly kindness, and love, prepare us f — 

For what will hate, envy, jealousy, selfishness, 
and covetousness, prepare us ? — 

Save we the choice given us between these f 



THIRD SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 221 



THIRD SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 



" He giveth His beloved sleep." Ps. cxxvii. 2. 

Wliy does God give us sleep f 

Ans. That we may have entire rest. 

Is it our bodies or our minds which need rest f 

Ans. Both. 

Could they continue to exist long without it f 

Ans. The body would die, and the mind would 
become enfeebled. 

Does the whole body require sleep ? 

Ans. No. 

What parts do require it f 

Ans. The brain, and those parts which the brain 
controls. 

Sow does sleep act upon them ? 

Ans. It is as if the bands were loosened or the 
nerves unstrung. 

Do the senses sleep f 

Ans. They do. 

Do they all fall asleep together ? 

Ans. No. The sense of sight sleeps first, then 
taste, next smell, and lastly touch. 

What parts of the body do not require sleep? 

Ans. The heart, the lungs, and the digestive 
organs. 

How do we best learn what a blessing sleep is f 



222 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. By being deprived of it when we need it. 

Is any portion of time particularly adapted for 
sleep f 

Ans. Yes, the night and darkness. 

How do the nights seem when sleep will not come 
to us f 

Ans. Long and wearisome. 

Is one part of night better than another for 



Ans. Yes. Sleep which we get early in the 
night does us the most good. 

To whom is sleep a peculiar blessing f 

Ans. To the sick and the afflicted, and to those 
oppressed by care. 

By what name has the poet called it f 

Ans. " Tired nature's sweet restorer." 

What is said of the sleep of the laboring man f 

Ans. " The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, 
whether he eat little or much ; but the abundance 
of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." Eccles. 
v. 12. 

Is sleep a gift to man alone f 

Ans. No. It is bestowed on every living thing 
that hath breath. 

Do all animals sleep in the night f 

Ans. Many of the wild beasts of the forests 
sleep by day, and are abroad at night. 

Do birds and insects sleep by day or night ? 

Ans. Some sleep by day and some by night. 

Mention some of each that are awake in the 
night. — 

Who is it who never sleeps f 






THIRD SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 223 

Ans. "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall 
neither slumber nor sleep." Ps. cxxi. 4. 

Can we take care of ourselves while we are 



May we ask God to watch over and protect us 



May we thank Him for His care when we 
awake f — 

Has sleep any other uses than those we have 
mentioned? 

Ans. The necessity for sleep teaches us our own 
frailty, and our dependence upon God. " We re- 
ceive each morning strength for the day, and when 
the time has gone, we fall back into God's bosom 
to be recruited." 

In what other way does it act upon us ? 

Ans. " It lessens the power of habit by checking 
us constantly in our career, and at the same time 
it turns our thoughts into a new channel, and gives 
us a fresh start for the coming day." 

What effect does it have upon anger and other 
evil passions ? 

Ans. It often weakens and sometimes destroys 
them. 

What has it been called in allusion to this f 

Ans. " An unconscious Sabbath, or a truce of 
God," where no anger, or hatred, or revenge, or 
jealousy, can exist. 

Of what is sleep the source f 

Ans. 

" Gome blessed barrier between day and day, 
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health." 



224 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

How is it a proof of GocVs universal love f 
Ans. By visiting the evil and the good, the 

thankful and the unthankful, those who love Him 

and those who love Him not. 



FO UR TS S UNDA T IN DECEMBER. 225 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 



" What man is he that liveth and shall not see death ? " 

Ps. lxxxix. 48. 

What do these words proclaim f 

Ans. That death is a universal law of life. 

As God is always good and just in all Sis deal- 
ings with us, mag we not be sure that the law of 
death is a wise and benevolent law f — 

What is death? 

Ans. It is the extinction of bodily life. 

What more is it f 

Ans. It is the entrance through which we pass 
to a higher stage of life ; all our paths in life, how- 
ever far apart they lie, meet here, and from this 
gate they will, perhaps, diverge again. 

Js the law of death a natural law f 

Ans. It is, and is as necessary to our progress 
as birth or growth. 

Do our bodies die f 

Ans. No. No particle of matter in God's uni- 
verse is ever destroyed, it is only changed from 
animal to vegetable, from vegetable to animal life. 

Do our spirits die? 

Ans. No, they pass "through death to life." 
Death is a new birth to them. 

What is the feeling with which death is usually 
regarded f . - 



226 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. With fear and dread. 

What is death called f 

Ans. " The king of terrors." 

What is used as an emblem of death f 

Ans. A skeleton bearing a scythe. 

What is the reason of this feeling f 

Ans. Because we know so little about it, and 
because our faith is so narrow and so weak with 
regard to the life beyond death. 

Sow may tee learn somewhat of death f 

Ans. By the many types and emblems of it 
which God has given us. 

What is the most common of these f 

Ans. Sleep. 

How does sleep resemble death f 

Ans. In being a state of unconsciousness. 

Can any one tell the precise moment when he will 
fall asleep f — 

Is it not so with death ? — 

Why do ice sleep f 

Ans. That we may wake refreshed. 

Why do we die f 

Ans. That we may live a higher and a purer 
life. 

As we fall asleep with confidence ofwa7cing, why 
shoidd we not have the same assurance with regard 
to our long sleep f — 

Does the law of death extend beyond the human 
family f 

Ans. Yes, to all animal and all vegetable life 
also. 

What is the general law icith regard to the death 
of trees and plants? 



FOURTH SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 227 

Ans. That they should die when they have ac- 
complished the purpose of their being here, and are 
fully ripe. 

What is the natural law of death ? 

Ans. That it should close a life which has lasted 
till old age and the decay of the faculties. 

Why do so great a proportion die before reach- 
ing that state ? 

Ans. It is the result of disobedience to some of 
God's natural laws. 

Can any of GocVs laws be disobeyed and no 
penalty be paid? — 

What is the sting of death f 

Ans. " The sting of death is sin." 1 Cor. xv. 56. 

What causes the dread of death ? 

Ans. Sin. 

Why is this ? 

Ans. Because a life of sin, and sinful tastes and 
desires, cannot prepare one for the enjoyment of a 
higher life with God. 

What does St. Paid say of death in his letter to 
the Romans, viii. 6 f 

Ans. "For to be carnally minded is death." 

What does he mean by being carnally minded? 

Ans. Exalting the body above the spirit, and 
desiring sinful gratifications. 

To ichat death does he refer ? 

Ans. To spiritual death. 

Which of God^s works teach us most plalmy 
about death ? 

Ans. When the worm rolls itself up in its chrys- 
alis, it seems as dead as the body from which the 



228 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

soul has fled ; but it comes forth alive in a newer 
and more glorious form, and we know, because we 
see, that two stages of entirely different existence 
are possible for the same being. 

Can you give another instance f 

Ans. The kernel of corn, or of wheat, or rye is 
laid away in the earth, and seems to die ; but only 
the covering dies, and the germ of life that was in 
it then first really begins to live, and a beautiful 
plant springs up, with entirely different capacities 
from those which it had before. 

How did the Greeks represent death? 

Ans. As a beautiful youth. 

How does Homer speak of death f 

Ans. " Sleep and death are twins." 

What does another Greek poet call them ? 

Ans. " Sons of night." 

From whom does death separate us ? 

Ans. From the friends we love, and by whom 
we are loved. 

To whom icill it unite us ? 

Ans. To our loved ones who have gone before, 
and to Jesus our Savior and friend. 

What does Jesus promise to those icho love him ? 

Ans. " I go to prepare a place for you, . . . that 
where I am there ye may be also." John xiv. 2, 3. 

From what will death release us f 

Ans. From pain, and sickness, and temptation, 
and care. 

To what icill it remove us f 

Ans. To a home " where there shall be no more 






FO Ult TH S UNDA T IN DECEMBER. 229 

death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there 
be any more pain." Rev. xxi. 4. 

To whom is this promised f 

Ans. "He that overcometh shall inherit all 
things." Rev. xxi. 7. 

What pledge have we that we shall live again ? 

Ans. The resurrection of Jesus, and his saying, 
" I am the resurrection and the life ; he that be- 
lieveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he 
live." John xi. 25, 



230 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



FIFTH SUNDAY IN DECEMBER. 

See Appendix. 






APPENDIX. 



LESSONS FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAYS. 



(231) 



Foe the Fifth Sunday op 
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, OR DECEMBER. 



SNOW. 

" Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow ? 
Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail ? " 

Job xxxviii. 22. 

What do these words imply ? 

Ans. That there are treasures in the snow and 
hail. 

What is the purpose of this lesson? 

Ans. To try to find out what those treasures are. 

To what does the psalmist liken the snow f 

Ans. " He giveth snow like wool." Ps. cxlvii. 16. 

What do we learn from David's writings f 

Ans. That he loved to study the works of God, 
and that his heart was full of praises to Him. 

In what country did David live f. 

Ans. In Judea. 

Save they still snow in Judea f 

Ans. Yes, occasionally ; but it does not lie long 
upon the ground. 

Is there any respect in which snow is like wool ? 

Ans. In whiteness, in looseness of texture, and 
in warmth. 

What causes the whiteness of snow ? 

Ans. It is formed of an infinite number of mi- 

(233) 



234 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

nute prisms and crystals, which reflect all the col- 
ors of the rays of light ; these colors uniting before 
they reach the eye, make the snow appear white. 

What occasions the looseness of texture in snow f 

Ans. The little air-chambers with which it is 
filled. 

To what has it been likened. 

Ans. To feathery down. 

Sow can it be warm when it feels so cold to us f 

Ans. It does not carry off heat readily, and in 
that way keeps the warmth that there is in bodies 
from escaping. 

What does it do for the earth f 

Ans. In the cold season it falls, and covers the 
earth like a garment. 

What is the advantage of that? 

Ans. The roots of the grasses and winter grains, 
and many other plants, are kept alive in that way. 

What does it sometimes do in the frozen regions f 

Ans. It covers over the delicate little flowers, 
and keeps them fresh and bright till the warm 
weather comes again. 

Can animals line under the snow f 

Ans. A whole Swiss family were once buried 
under an avalanche of snow, and were found there 
alive five months afterwards. 

Did they have any food? 

Ans. Only a few chestnuts and the milk of a 
goat which was buried with them. 

Did they suffer very much from the cold ? 

Ans. Not severely. 

What more do we learn about this ? 



APPENDIX. 235 

Ans. That in some cases it actually nourishes 
animal life, containing in itself myriads of micro- 
scopic creatures. 

How does God fashion the snow-flakes ? 

Ans. When the air is very cold, it crystallizes 
the vapor into flakes, which then fall to the earth. 

How woidd the vapor fall in a warmer tempera- 
ture f 

Ans. As rain. 

Have the snow-flakes any particular form ? 

Ans. They have a great variety of forms, but 
all obey a certain law. 

What is that law ? 

Ans. Snow always crystallizes in three, or some 
multiple of three; that is, every snow-flake has 
not only its sides, but its angles, of some number 
that may be divided by three. 

What other law do they obey? 

Ans, The snow-flakes which form at one time 
are similar in shape ; if the temperature varies the 
shape changes. 

How many forms of flakes have been noticed? 

Ans. More than a hundred. 

Where are the most beautiful forms seen ? ■ 

Ans. In the arctic regions. 

Why do ice find so many of the snow-flakes im- 
perfect in their shape? 

Ans. Because they jostle against each other in 
coming down, and are broken in pieces. 

Has the snow any other uses besides keeping the 
plants alive ? 

Ans. In different regions it has different uses.. 



236 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Hot countries are cooled by the air which blows 
over it ; rivers and streams are fed by the little rills 
which trickle down from the melting snows on the 
mountain sides ; and when it melts and soaks into 
the earth, it nourishes and enriches the roots of 
plants and trees, and gives them new vigor and 
new life. 

Mention some of its uses to the inhabitants of 
the frozen regions. 

Ans. It makes communication easy between dis- 
tant places by opening a smooth highway for their 
sledges, and it furnishes materials for their habita- 
tions, which it makes both warm and light. 

Do the people of those countries enjoy the snow ? 

Ans. Yes. They rejoice in its coming. 

What has a northern traveller called the snow ? 

Ans. " Earth's sleeping dress." 

By what other name has it been called? 

Ans. " Earth's winter robe," of purest white. 

What else does snow do for the earth? 

Ans. It hides the barrenness and poverty of win- 
ter, and covers the earth with beauty. 

What Christian grace does it thus resemble ? 

Ans. " Charity [which] shall cover a multitude 
of sins." 1 Pet. iv. 8. 

Of what other graces is it a type ? 

Ans. Of purity and cheerfulness. 

What effect^ then, should its coming have upon 
our soxds ? — 

What can you say of the silence of the snow? — 

What of its durability ? — 

Is snow ever any other color than white? 



APPENDIX. 237 

Ans. Yes. Beyond the region of perpetual 
snow it assumes various colors — red, orange, and 
salmon. 

To what is this owing ? 

Ans. To minute animal and vegetable life ; 
sometimes one, sometimes the other. 

What does the psalmist say of the snow f 

Ans. " Praise the Lord, snow and vapors ; stormy- 
wind fulfilling His word." Ps. cxlviii. 7, 8. 

If the snow, and vapors, and stormy wind fulfil 
the word of the Lord, what is the lesson which they 
teach us f 



238 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 



For the Fifth Sunday of 
MARCH, APRIL, OR MAY. 

THE HEAVENS. 

What can we see which more than anything else 
declares to us the glory of God f 

Ans. " The heavens declare the glory of God, 
and the firmament showeth His handiwork." Ps. 
xix. 1. 

What was the ITebrew belief respecting heaven ? 

Ans. That there were three heavens: the first, 
near the earth, filled with air; the second, beyond 
that, in which the clouds were placed ; and the 
third, still beyond these, where God dwelt. 

What does our English word heaven mean f 

Ans. High, or elevated. 

When we speak of the heavens, then, what idea 
does it convey to us f 

Ans. The high place, the region above us. 

When we look at the heavens ichat do ice see f 

Ans. A mighty dome. 

When did people begin to study the heavens and 
what they contain? 

Ans. Very early in the world's history. 

Why is it probable that Gods works occupied 
the thoughts of the people generally more than they 
do now f 

Ans. Because there were not so many other 



APPENDIX. 239 

things to think of; there bad been less discoveries 
and inventions, and the cares of the world had not 
crept in then as they have since. 

What is the glory of God which the heavens de- 
clared to the psalmist, and still declare to us f 

Ans. The infinitude of His existence, the per- 
fection of His being, the wonder of His working. 

How do the heavens declare GocVs glory to us f 

Ans. By their extent, by the numberless orbs 
which they contain, by the laws which govern 
those heavenly bodies, and by our own dependence 
upon them for our supply of light and heat. 

Mention some of those bodies. — 

When are the glories of the heavens revealed 
to us f 

Ans. By night and day. We see the glorious 
sun by day, but the others can only be seen when 
his light is withdrawn. 

Can we ever see all of the heavenly bodies? 

Ans. No. Only a very small part of them. 

What reason have we for believing that there are 
more than we can see f 

Ans. Because some ]3ersons see a great many 
more than others ; and because the clearer the air 
is the more we can see ; and because, with a pow- 
erful glass, more than as many again can be seen 
as with the naked eye ; and because new ones are 
constantly being noted, every new help revealing 
new objects, and there seems no limit to them. 

If these all declare the glory of God, what is it 
which showeth Sis handiwork f 

Ans. The beautiful and ever-varying clouds. 



240 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

What other object of interest is occasionally pre- 
sented to us in the firmament or heavens f 

Ans. The rainbow. 

When did God create the sun, the stars, the plan- 
ets, and the moons f — 

When did He create the clouds and the rain- 
bow? — 

Why are these last called His handiwork f 

Ans. Because they are made from day to day, 
and from hour to hour, as if by the labor of the 
hand ; and every man may see them. 

How is this done? 

Ans. By the action of God's unchangeable laws, 
fixed "in the beginning." 

How does the psalmist conclude his utterance ? 

Ans. 

" Day unto day uttereth speech, 
And night unto night showeth knowledge." Ps. xix. 2. 

How is this true ? — 

Are we not surrounded on all sides by teachers, 
of whom we may learn lessons of God's wisdom, 
power, and love ? — 

Is not that firobably one of the purposes of our 
being placed here ? — 



appendix. 241 

For the Fifth Sunday of 
JUNE, JULY, OR AUGUST. 

THE MAGNET. 

What is mi emblem f 

Ans. A sign or token. 

How will you explain the meaning ? 

Ans. It is a natural object, which suggests a 
similar spiritual thought to the mind. 

Of what is the anchor an emblem f 

Ans. Of hope. 

Why? — 

Of what is a pair of scales an emblem f 

Ans. Of justice. 

Why? — 

A crown ? 

Ans. Of royalty. 

Why? — 

A snow-drop ? 

Ans. Of purity. 

Why? — 

What is spolcen of in Scripture as an emblem of 
purity ? 

Ans. A white robe. 

Are emblems often introduced in Scripture teach- 
ings ? 

Ans. They are. 

What does our Savior say in John xii. 32 ? 



242 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Arts. " And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men 
unto me." 

Can you think of any emblem of this power in 
Jesus to draw all men unto him ? 

Ans. Yes. The magnet. 

"What is a magnet ? 

Ans. A kind of iron ore, which has the property 
of drawing other ore to it. 

By what other name is it known ? 

Ans. The loadstone. 

Do magnets attract any metal but iron f 

Ans. Yes, nearly all metals, but in different de- 
grees. 

If a magnet is held over mineral substances how 
will it affect them ? 

Ans. It lifts them up to it. 

What curious fact about magnets can you state? 

Ans. That they have all two points in opposite 
directions, to which metals are most strongly at- 
tracted. 

What are these points called? 

Ans. The poles of the magnet. 

What are the names given to these two poles ? 

Ans. The positive and negative poles. 

If two magnets are placed near each other ', which 
poles will have a mutual attraction ? 

Ans. The positive pole of one and the negative 
pole of the other. 

In what direction does the magnet point? 

Ans. Directly north. 

Does this property of the magnet make it useful 
to man ? 



APPENDIX. 243 

Ans. It does. 
Where? 

Ans. At sea, or in forests, or in trackless deserts. 

What is the instrument called which is used to 
point out the direction ? 

Ans. A compass ; and it is composed of a mag- 
netic needle suspended on a pivot, so that it will 
turn easily, and enclosed in a box to protect it 
from wind and rain, with a glass top through which 
the needle can be seen. 

Is there any way in which a compass reminds us 
of our Lord ? 

Ans. Yes. He always shows us the Father, as 
a compass always points to the north. 

If we follow his teachings, can we go astray f -^- 

To tchat did Jesus refer when he said, "I, if I 
be lifted up, will draw all men unto me f " 

Ans. To his being lifted up upon the cross. 

How does his death upon the cross draw men to 
him f — 

When the magnet draws other metals to itself 
does it impart any of its properties to them f 

Ans. It does. 

What do they become f 

Ans. Magnets also. 

When we draw towards Jesus, do we become like 
him f — 

What effect does this have upon us f 

Ans. We in turn attract others to us. 

Is there not then a spiritual magnet f — 

What is its name f 

Ans. Love. 



244 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Where is the source of this spiritual magnetism f 

Arts. In God, because " God is love." 

Does lie impart this quality to all of IBs chil- 
dren ? 

Arts. Yes, but in different degrees. 

What is its result in them f 

Ans. To attract and influence each other. 

Does the amount of the attraction which we re- 
ceive and impart depend upon ourselves f — 

Does a magnet lose any of its power by impart- 
ing power to other metals f 

Ans. It does not. 

Is the same true with the spiritual magnet f — 

If we strengthen our love by keeping constantly 
near the Source of all love, what will be the result f 

Ans. We shall also draw men to us, and through 
us to God. 



APPENDIX. 245 



Foe the Fifth Sunday of 
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, OR NOVEMBER. 

MOUNTAINS. 

« rpjjy goodness, O Lord, reacheth to the heavens; 

Thy righteousness is like the high mountains." 

Ps. xxxvi. 5, 6. 

Can we study the infinite One as we would a 
book, or a picture, or a statue? — 

Why can we not f 

Ans. Because " no man hath seen God at any 
time." John i. 18. " Whom no man hath seen or 
can see." 1 Tim. vi. 16. 

How, then, are we to learn about Sim f 

Ans. He has revealed Himself to us in His word 
and in His works. 

In what spirit should we always study Sis 
works f — 

What advantage has the revelation of God in 
Sis worhs over the written revelation f 

Ans. In being open to all His children, and in 
coming direct from Himself, without the interven- 
tion of translator or intepreter. 

"Gods righteousness is like the high moun- 
tains." What is the meaning of righteousness ? 

Ans. Uprightness, integrity, rectitude, faithful- 
ness. 

What are some of the characteristics of moun- 
tains ? 



246 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

Ans. Power of endurance, unchangeableness, 
majesty. 

What terms are applied to them in Scripture ? 

Ans. " The ancient mountains," " the everlast- 
ing hills." Deut. xxxiii. 15. Gen. xlix. 26. 

Of what was it necessary that the mountains 
should be formed to insure their endurance ? 

Ans. Of a different and harder substance than 
that used elsewhere. 

Do we find, accordingly, that such a substance is 



Ans. We do. 

What is that substance ? 

Ans. Rock. 

Are all mountains formed of the same hind of 
rock f 

Ans, They are not. 

What have the mountains been called ? 

Ans. " The bones of the earth." 

How are they like bo?ies to the earth ? — 

Are the mountains, or is any other created tiling, 
a perfect type of the Creator? — 

Why can they not be ? 

Ans. Because their unchangeableness is only 
apparent. 

Why does it seem real to us ? 

Ans. Because the changes in them are so grad- 
ual. 

What forces work upon the mountains to crum- 
ble them to nought? 

Ans. Thunder and lightning, frost and rain, 
the torrent and the waterfall, and, just as surely 



APPENDIX. 247 

as all the rest, the little lichens, whose roots pierce 
their crevices, and help to crumble them to pieces. 

What purpose is effected by this rending and 
crumbling of the mountains ? 

Ans. It renovates and changes the soils of the 
earth, which would otherwise become exhausted. 

Sow is this done ? 

Ans. Fragments are broken off and cast down ; 
these are splintered by frosts, and ground by tor- 
rents into sand and clay, which are distributed, by 
every little streamlet, over the whole surface of the 
hungry earth. 

To what have the mountains been compared f 

Ans. To "heaps of fresh and fertile earth, laid 
up by a prudent gardener beside his garden beds, 
whence, at intervals, he casts on them some new 
and virgin ground." 

What other use is effected by the want of solidity 
in the mountain masses ? 

Ans. It makes them available for the use of man 
in architecture and in sculpture. 

What do mountains do for the waters of the 
earth? 

Ans. They give them motion, and so power and 
purity. 

What do mountains do for the air f 

Ans. They change its currents, and in many 
ways purify it and vary its temperature. 

Mention some of the more material services 
which the mountains render? 

Ans. They furnish shelter for wild beasts, pastur- 
age for cattle, haunts and homes for birds, forests 



248 MANY TEACHERS, BUT ONE LESSON. 

for shipping and for fuel, stone for building, metals 
for the arts, and minerals for the healing of dis- 
eases. 

What, then, are they as a whole ? 

Ans. " Sources of life and happiness ; " "a per- 
petual mercy of God to man." 

What other characteristics of mountains are 
there besides those already mentioned? 

Ans. Their variety of form and beauty of color- 
ing. 

What can you say of this last ? 

Ans. Usually it is all the variety of shades of 
green, given to us by their wooded heights ; often 
this is crowned with purest white; but in some 
parts of Siberia, and in some other countries, the 
mountains present the most brilliant colors from 
the minerals which enter into their structure, and 
sparkle in the sunshine like precious stones. 

Have not the mountains other and nobler uses 
than those which we have named f 

Ans. They have : to elevate the mind and heart 
of man, to fill his thoughts with the beauty of God's 
working and the richness of His giving, and to 
teach lessons of humility. ♦ 

What was the feeling which they inspired long 
ago? 

Ans. "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, 
whence cometh my help." Ps. cxxi. 1. 

What interesting associations have we with the 
mountains and the hills? 

Ans. Associations with events recorded in Scrip- 



APPENDIX. 249 

ture, which are said to have taken place on or 
among them. 
How are they connected with the history of 



Aiis. He was called of God from Mount Horeb 
(Ex. iii. 1, 4) ; God gave the commandments to 
him from Mount Sinai (Ex. xix. and xx.) ; and he 
died on Mount Nebo (Deut. xxxiv.). 

What other priest of the Lord died on a moun- 
tain? 

Ans. Aaron, on Mount Hor. Num. xx. 27, 28. 

How are they associated with our Savior's life f 

Ans. His first sermon was preached on a moun- 
tain ; he went often upon the mountains to pray ; 
he was transfigured upon a mountain ; he went out 
into the Mount of Olives, " as was his wont," with 
his disciples, the evening before his crucifixion, and 
talked with them there ; and from the same moun- 
tain he ascended into heaven. Acts i. 9, 12. 

What do these associations give to all moun- 



Ans. A tender and sacred interest. 



MANUALS 
FOE SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 

EARLY LESSONS ABOUT THE SAVIOR. 

By the author of " Many Teachers but one Lesson." Price per 
dozen, $1.25. 

ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR. By 

the author of " Early Lessons about the Savior." Per dozen, 
$1.25. 

MANUAL OF THE EVIDENCES OP CHRIS- 

TIANITY. For Classes and Private Beading. Second edition. 
Per dozen, $9.00. 



NEW BOOKS, 

SUITABLE FOE 

SUNDAY SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 

CELESTA. A Girl's Book. By Mes. M. E. 

Berry. Price $1.25. 

CROOKED AND STRAIGHT; oe, Jotham 

and Annette at Home. By the author of " Celesta." Price 
$1.25. 

AUNT ZELPETH'S BABY. By the author of 

" The Adventures of a German Toy." Illustrated. Price $1.00. 

GERTY AND MAY. By the author of "Gran- 
ny's Story Box." With four Illustrations. Price $1.00 



PUBLISHED BY 

^VT. V. SPENCER, 

♦ 203 Washington Street, 

Corner of Bromfield, BOSTON". 



-JPOlPTJlLiJ^Tl BOOKS 

Published and for sale by 
WILLIAM V. SPEIVOER, 

203 Washington Street, Boston, 

PATRIOTISM AT HOME; 

OB, THE YOUNG INVTNCIBLES. 

By the author of " Fred Freeland." With four Illustrations, 
from original designs by Champney. Printed on heavy paper, in 
handsome binding. One vol. lGmo. Price, $1.50. 

KITTY BARTON. 



THE LITTLE WRINKLED OLD MAN; 

A CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA, AND OTHER TRIFLES. 

By Elizabeth A. Thurston. Illustrated. Price, 75 cts. 

THE ADVENTURES OF A GERMAN TOY. 

16mo. Illustrated. Price, 60 cts. 

HOME LIFE: 

WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT IT NEEDS. 

By Rev. J. F. W. Ware. 16mo. Cloth. $1.25. 
THE BLADE AND THE EAR. 

THOUGHTS FOR A YOUNG MAN. 

By Rev. A. B. Muzzey. 16mo. Price, $L25. 
" The best book for Young Men I have ever read." — Governor 
John A. Andrew. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUALS. 

EARLY LESSONS ABOUT THE SAVIOUR. 

Per dozen, net, $1.25. 

ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR. 

By the author of w Early Lessons," Per dozen, net, $1.25. 

*** Copies of either of the above, or any book published in the 
United States, sent by mail, free of postage, on receipt of price. 



Libraries supplied on most favorable terms. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proce* j 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2005 

PreservationTechnologie: 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATIOJ 
1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



POPUL, 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS # 

020 185 612 7; 



PUBLISHED AND FOU SALE BY 



WILLIAM V. SPENCER, 

203, Washington Street, Boston, 



MEMOIR OP THE EEV. SAMUEL BARRETT, D.D., 

with a Selected Series of his Discourses. By LEWIS G. I'll ay. 
1 vol. I61110. 81.25. 

SERMONS. By E. B. Hall, D.D., Pastor of the First 

Congregational Church, Providence, R.I., from 1832 to 18G7 ; with a 
Brief Memoir. 1 vol. 16mo. $1.25. 

THE BOW IN THE CLOUD. By Eev. G. W. Briggs, 

D.D. 1 vol. 16mo. $1.00. 
REASON IN RELIGION. By Rev. F. H. Hedge, 

D.D. Third Edition. 1 vol. Crown 8vo. $2.00. 

THE HOUR WHICH COMETH. By Rev. J. F. Clarke, 

D.D. (But a few copies remaining.) Price 

MANUAL OF THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 

For Classes and Private Reading. By S'j efhen G. Bulfinch, 
D.D. Sroond Edition. Price reduced to $1.00. 

HOME LIFE. What it is and what it needs. By Rev. 
J. F.W. Ware. $1.26. 

THE BLADE AND THE EAR, Thoughts for a 

loung Mau. By Rer. A. B. Muzzey. $1.26 



' in. hand all the books (in print) recommended by 
the Ladie«' Commission American Unitarian Association, on which an 
average discount of 25 per cent will be allowed to Sunday School Libra- 
ries, with a privilege of examining books and returning such as are not 



